The London 2012 Olympics may be over, but this is just the start for the new sporting celebrities who have stolen the hearts of their country. Team South Africa managed to bag 6 medals in total – South Africa’s best Olympic performance since its reinstatement into the games in 1992. Here are our medallists and a few of the reasons why we love them!

Chad le Clos quickly became a household name (whether you pronounce his name with a silent “s” or not). The 20-year-old swimming sensation from Durban surprised us all with his split-second victory over Olympic legend Michael Phelps to win gold in the Men’s 200m Butterfly. He followed that up with a silver medal in the Men’s 100m Butterfly – only 0.23 seconds behind Phelps.

Why we love Chad:

• He’s humble and wasn’t afraid to tell Michael Phelps that he’s his hero.
• He cried man-tears when they played the National Anthem.
• His dad, Burt le Clos, became a celebrity in his own right when he displayed his affection for his “unbelievable” son.
• He wisely pulled out of the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay to focus on the 100m Butterfly.
• He wants to give back and develop swimming in South Africa.
• He is now one of South Africa’s most eligible bachelors.

Cameron van der Burgh, 24, has also become one of South Africa’s most eligible bachelors. But to the devastation of ladies across the country, he reported on 5fm Radio that he’s taken. Cameron’s Olympic debut was in Beijing 2008, but he didn’t make it past the semi-finals in the individual 100m Breaststroke.  Up until now, his greatest sporting achievements were breaking the world long-course record in the 50m breaststroke in 2009, and carrying the South African flag at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Now he can add the title of Olympic Gold Medallist to that list for his performance in the Men’s 100m breaststroke.

Why we love Cameron:

• He’s happy to wake up at 6am to give an interview on SA radio.
• To keep motivated, the pin code on his phone was “2012”.
• He’s smart and has a degree in Finance from Pretoria University.
• He wants to focus on growing swimming in South Africa.
• He was named 2011 Swimmer of the Year at the Telkom Swimming SA Annual Aquatic Awards.
• As well as training in the pool he also does yoga, pilates and weight training.

The “Oarsome Foursome” men’s rowing team from Pretoria made us proud too. They clinched the third Olympic gold medal for South Africa in what has been described as the “greatest Olympic rowing finish ever”. They upset the odds when they beat favourites Great Britain in the Men’s Lightweight Four at Eton Dorney. Great Britain and Denmark were in contention in the final 50 metres of the race, but the quartet of James Thompson, Matthew Brittain, John Smith and Sizwe Ndlovu did just enough to cross the finish line first.

John Smith (22), aka “Bean”, partnered with Matthew Brittain (25) to win a gold medal at the 2011 World U23 Championships in Brest, Belarus. For the 2012 Olympics, they teamed with James Thompson (25), who also rows for the University of Pretoria, and Sizwe Ndlovu (31), who rows for High Performance Centre, Pretoria. Sizwe is the oldest member of the team and has inspired a new generation of black athletes in South Africa. “There are around 20 black South Africans for every 100 whites in rowing, so I’m excited about what we have achieved here today, and hope I can serve as a role model to those back home,” said Ndlovu.

Why we love the “Oarsome Foursome”:

• They won South Africa’s first ever Olympic gold medal for rowing.
• They trained together 3 times a day for 3 years.
• The look on their faces when they realised they won gold was priceless.
• Their energetic celebration and water-slapping could be heard in South Africa all the way from London.
• Winning the gold came at the end of an 11-year journey in rowing for Sizwe Ndlovu.

Bridgitte Hartley was South Africa’s first female athlete to win a medal in London 2012. The 29-year-old beauty from Richard’s Bay won bronze in the Women’s K1 (Kayak Single) 500m race, putting South African canoe sprinting on the map. This was her second Olympics. She competed in the K2 1000m with Michele Eray at the 2008 Beijing Games, where they reached the semi-finals.

Why we love Bridgitte:

• She’s proof that hard work pays off.
• She’s rallying for more coaches for canoe sprinting.
• She wasn’t mentioned in the list of medal hopefuls, but her coach had faith in her and she brought one home.
• Her victory left her speechless.
• She’s a real girl-next-door who enjoys surfing, being outdoors, reading, and spending time with friends.
  

Caster Semenya was expected to win an Olympic medal at this year’s games and she proved she has what it takes. She qualified first in the Women’s 800m semi-finals, despite talk of her not being in peak condition. When it came to the finals, South Africans were left holding their breaths until the last 100m of the race where she suddenly surged from 6^th position. It was a nail-biting race, but she ran hard and finished second, securing a silver medal.

Why we love Caster:

• She started running at the age of 6.
• She’s a true hero in her Polokwane hometown.
• She’s following her passion and says, “When I am running, I am happy.”
• She won gold in the 800m at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
• She was named the 2009 Sportswoman of the Year by TuksSport.
• Despite the upsets of gender tests, and 11 months on the sidelines, she is as competitive as ever.

Team South Africa received a hero’s welcome when they touched down at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday, 14 August 2012. Hundreds of fans (and aspirant spouses-to-be) joined Lead SA and the Department of Sport and Recreation in celebrating the achievements of these sporting superstars.

Image Credits

Main Image by James Cridland (flickr)
Third Image by jamiejohndavies (flickr)