South Africa at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro from August 5 to 21, 2016. This was their seventh time in a row at the Olympics after apartheid ended, and the nineteenth time overall. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee sent the biggest team ever, with 138 athletes in 15 sports.

South Africa won 10 medals – 2 gold, 6 silver, and 2 bronze – their best performance since returning to the Olympics. Four medals came from track and field. Runners Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk won gold. The rugby sevens team, called the Blitzboks, won bronze by beating Japan.

Other medal winners included Luvo Manyonga, who came second in the men's long jump. Lawrence Brittain won silver in rowing with partner Shaun Keeling. Henri Schoeman won bronze in the men's triathlon, South Africa's first ever in that sport. Swimmers Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos won three silver medals, and Sunette Viljoen earned silver in the women's javelin throw at her fourth Olympics.

Medalists

Further information: 2016 Summer Olympics medal table and List of 2016 Summer Olympics medal winners

South Africa won medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Athletes from the country competed in many sports and brought home a few medals for their efforts.

Competitors

South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) sent 138 athletes, the biggest team ever from South Africa, to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There were 93 men and 45 women. They competed in 15 different sports.

South Africa first took part in golf and equestrian dressage at these Olympics. They also returned to diving and artistic gymnastics after many years. Track and field had the most athletes, with 39 competitors. Well-known athletes included swimming champions Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos, and track star Caster Semenya. The youngest competitor was 18-year-old football player Linda Motlhalo. The oldest was sailor Roger Hudson, who was 38 years old. Wayde van Niekerk carried the flag for South Africa at the opening ceremony.

Athletics (track and field)

Main article: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South African athletes took part in many running and field events at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. On May 25, 2016, six marathon runners were chosen, including some who had competed in past Olympics. By July 11, more athletes joined, including Godfrey Khotso Mokoena, who was competing in his fourth Olympics.

Track & road events

Men

Women

Field events

Men

Women

Combined events – Men's decathlon

Athlete	Event	Heat		Quarterfinal		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Antonio Alkana	110 m hurdles	13.64	5 q	—N/a		13.55	7	Did not advance
Lusapho April	Marathon	—N/a						2:15:24	24
Henricho Bruintjies	100 m	Bye		10.33	6	Did not advance
Elroy Gelant	5000 m	13:22.00	7 q	—N/a				13:17.47	14
Lungile Gongqa	Marathon	—N/a						DNF
Le Roux Hamman	400 m hurdles	49.72	7	—N/a		Did not advance
Lindsay Hanekom		50.22	7	—N/a		Did not advance
Tlotliso Leotlela	200 m	20.59	4	—N/a		Did not advance
Anaso Jobodwana	200 m	20.53	4	—N/a		Did not advance
Stephen Mokoka	10000 m	—N/a						27:54.57	18
Marc Mundell	50 km walk	—N/a						4:11:03	38
Clarence Munyai	200 m	20.66	3	—N/a		Did not advance
Sibusiso Nzima	Marathon	—N/a						2:25:33	97
Jacob Rozani	800 m	1:49.79	5	—N/a		Did not advance
Lebogang Shange	20 km walk	—N/a						1:25:07	44
Akani Simbine	100 m	Bye		10.14	1 Q	9.98	3 q	9.94	5
Wayne Snyman	20 km walk	—N/a						1:29:20	58
Wayde van Niekerk	400 m	45.26	1 Q	—N/a		44.45	2 Q	43.03 WR
Reinhardt van Rensburg	800 m	1:45.67	2 Q	—N/a		1:45.33	5	Did not advance
Louis van Zyl	400 m hurdles	49.12	2 Q	—N/a		49.00	5	Did not advance

Athlete	Event	Heat		Quarterfinal		Semifinal		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Alyssa Conley	100 m	Bye		11.57	6	Did not advance
	200 m	23.17	4	—N/a		Did not advance
Carina Horn	100 m	Bye		11.32	2 Q	11.20	6	Did not advance
Christine Kalmer	Marathon	—N/a						2:48:24	96
Wenda Nel	400 m hurdles	55.55	2 Q	—N/a		55.83	6	Did not advance
Justine Palframan	200 m	23.33	5	—N/a		Did not advance
	400 m	53.96	7	—N/a		Did not advance
Anél Oosthuizen	20 km walk	—N/a						1:45:06	63
Dina Lebo Phalula	Marathon	—N/a						2:41:46	63
Dominique Scott	10000 m	—N/a						31:51.47	21
Caster Semenya	800 m	1:59.31	1 Q	—N/a		1:58.15	1 Q	1:55.28 NR
Tsholofelo Thipe	400 m	52.80	4	—N/a		Did not advance
Irvette van Zyl	Marathon	—N/a						DNS

Athlete	Event	Qualification		Final
		Distance	Position	Distance	Position
Stefan Brits	Long jump	7.71	22	Did not advance
Luvo Manyonga		8.12	4 q	8.37
Godfrey Khotso Mokoena	Triple jump	16.51	21	Did not advance
Rushwahl Samaai	Long jump	8.03	5 q	7.97	9
Rocco van Rooyen	Javelin throw	78.48	24	Did not advance

Athlete	Event	Qualification		Final
		Distance	Position	Distance	Position
Lynique Prinsloo	Long jump	6.10	33	Did not advance
Sunette Viljoen	Javelin throw	63.54	6 Q	64.92

Badminton

Main article: Badminton at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Jacob Maliekal played in the men's singles event at the Olympics. He got his spot because he was the best player from Africa in the world as of May 5, 2016.

Athlete	Event	Group Stage			Elimination	Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Final / BM
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
Jacob Maliekal	Men's singles	Son W-h (KOR) L (10–21, 10–21)	Pochtarev (UKR) W (21–18, 21–19)	2	Did not advance

Canoeing

Main article: Canoeing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Sprint

Bridgitte Hartley qualified for the Women's K-1 500 metres through the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)

Cycling

Main article: Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa had cyclists in many events at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In road racing, riders like Daryl Impey and Louis Meintjes for the men, and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and An-Li Kachelhoffer for the women, got their spots by doing well in earlier races. Moolman-Pasio also raced in the time trial event.

In mountain biking, Alan Hatherly and James Reid got to race by placing high enough in the rankings. For BMX, Kyle Dodd secured a place by doing well at the 2016 UCI BMX World Championships.

Diving

Main article: Diving at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Julia Vincent competed in the Olympics because she had the best result in Africa at the 2015 FINA World Championships.

Equestrian

Main article: Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Dressage rider, Tanya Seymour, qualified for the equestrian competition because she did very well in a big competition in Perl, Germany.

Football

Main article: Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa's men's and women's football teams both played in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The men's team got their spot by finishing third in the 2015 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. The women's team qualified by winning the fourth round play-off of the 2015 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Both teams had 18 players each, with the lists being announced on July 14, 2016. During the women's tournament, one player was replaced because of an injury on August 6, 2016.

The teams played many matches in different stadiums across Brazil in August 2016.

Men's tournament

Main article: Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament

Women's tournament

Main article: Football at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

Team	Event	Group Stage				Quarterfinal	Semifinal	Final / BM
		Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Opposition Score	Rank
South Africa men's	Men's tournament	Brazil D 0–0	Denmark L 0–1	Iraq D 1–1	4	Did not advance			13
South Africa women's	Women's tournament	Sweden L 0–1	China L 0–2	Brazil D 0–0	4	Did not advance			10

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Jody February	(1996-05-12)12 May 1996 (aged 20)	0	0	Ajax Cape Town
2	2DF	Eric Mathoho*	(1990-03-01)1 March 1990 (aged 26)	0	0	Kaizer Chiefs
3	2DF	Repo Malepe	(1997-02-18)18 February 1997 (aged 19)	0	0	Orlando Pirates
4	4FW	Mothobi Mvala	(1994-06-14)14 June 1994 (aged 22)	0	0	Highlands Park
5	2DF	Rivaldo Coetzee	(1996-10-16)16 October 1996 (aged 19)	0	0	Ajax Cape Town
6	2DF	Kwanda Mngonyama	(1993-09-25)25 September 1993 (aged 22)	0	0	Maritzburg United
7	3MF	Menzi Masuku	(1993-04-15)15 April 1993 (aged 23)	0	0	Orlando Pirates
8	3MF	Tyroane Sandows	(1995-02-12)12 February 1995 (aged 21)	0	0	Grêmio
9	4FW	Tashreeq Morris	(1994-05-13)13 May 1994 (aged 22)	0	0	Ajax Cape Town
10	4FW	Keagan Dolly (c)	(1993-01-22)22 January 1993 (aged 23)	0	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
11	3MF	Maphosa Modiba	(1995-07-22)22 July 1995 (aged 21)	0	0	Mpumalanga Black Aces
12	4FW	Lebo Mothiba	(1996-01-28)28 January 1996 (aged 20)	0	0	Lille
13	2DF	Abbubaker Mobara	(1994-02-18)18 February 1994 (aged 22)	0	0	Orlando Pirates
14	3MF	Gift Motupa	(1994-09-23)23 September 1994 (aged 21)	0	0	Orlando Pirates
15	3MF	Phumlani Ntshangase	(1994-12-24)24 December 1994 (aged 21)	0	0	Bidvest Wits
16	1GK	Itumeleng Khune*	(1987-06-20)20 June 1987 (aged 29)	0	0	Kaizer Chiefs
17	2DF	Tebogo Moerane	(1995-04-07)7 April 1995 (aged 21)	0	0	Bidvest Wits
18	3MF	Deolin Mekoa	(1993-08-10)10 August 1993 (aged 22)	0	0	Maritzburg United
19	4FW	Andile Fikizolo	(1994-05-13)13 May 1994 (aged 22)	0	0	Lamontville Golden Arrows
21	4FW	Thabiso Kutumela	(1993-07-03)3 July 1993 (aged 23)	0	0	Baroka

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Brazil (H)	3	1	2	0	4	0	+4	5	Quarter-finals
2	Denmark	3	1	1	1	1	4	−3	4
3	Iraq	3	0	3	0	1	1	0	3
4	South Africa	3	0	2	1	1	2	−1	2

South Africa	1–1	Iraq
Motupa 6'	Report (Rio2016) Report (FIFA)	Abdul-Amir 14'

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Roxanne Barker	(1991-05-06)6 May 1991 (aged 25)	28	0	Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
2	2DF	Lebogang Ramalepe	(1991-12-03)3 December 1991 (aged 24)	27	1	MaIndies
3	2DF	Nothando Vilakazi	(1988-10-28)28 October 1988 (aged 27)	86	5	Palace Super Falcons
4	2DF	Noko Matlou	(1985-09-30)30 September 1985 (aged 30)	124	63	MaIndies
5	2DF	Janine van Wyk (captain)	(1987-04-17)17 April 1987 (aged 29)	131	11	JVW
6	3MF	Mamello Makhabane	(1988-02-24)24 February 1988 (aged 28)	71	18	JVW
7	3MF	Stephanie Malherbe	(1996-04-05)5 April 1996 (aged 20)	7	0	Texas A&M University
8	3MF	Robyn Moodaly	(1994-06-16)16 June 1994 (aged 22)	14	2	University of Northwestern Ohio
9	3MF	Amanda Dlamini	(1988-07-22)22 July 1988 (aged 28)	100	24	University of Johannesburg
10	3MF	Linda Motlhalo	(1998-07-01)1 July 1998 (aged 18)	8	3	FKM Nové Zámky
11	4FW	Shiwe Nogwanya	(1994-03-07)7 March 1994 (aged 22)	28	4	Bloemfontein Celtic
12	4FW	Jermaine Seoposenwe	(1993-10-12)12 October 1993 (aged 22)	41	10	Samford University
13	2DF	Bambanani Mbane	(1990-03-12)12 March 1990 (aged 26)	2	0	Bloemfontein Celtic
14	4FW	Sanah Mollo	(1987-01-30)30 January 1987 (aged 29)	69	21	Mamelodi Sundowns
15	3MF	Refiloe Jane	(1992-08-04)4 August 1992 (aged 23)	62	5	Vaal University of Technology
16	1GK	Andile Dlamini	(1992-09-02)2 September 1992 (aged 23)	19	0	Mamelodi Sundowns
17	3MF	Leandra Smeda	(1989-07-22)22 July 1989 (aged 27)	60	13	University of the Western Cape
18	3MF	Mpumi Nyandeni	(1987-08-19)19 August 1987 (aged 28)	125	38	JVW
20	4FW	Thembi Kgatlana	(1996-05-02)2 May 1996 (aged 20)	0	0	University of the Western Cape

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Brazil (H)	3	2	1	0	8	1	+7	7	Quarter-finals
2	China	3	1	1	1	2	3	−1	4
3	Sweden	3	1	1	1	2	5	−3	4
4	South Africa	3	0	1	2	0	3	−3	1

Golf

Main article: Golf at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa sent four golfers to the 2016 Olympics, two men and two women. The golfers were Brandon Stone, Jaco van Zyl, Paula Reto, and Ashleigh Simon. They got their spots by being among the best players in the world rankings.

Two other top golfers, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, decided not to play in the Olympics.

Gymnastics

Main article: Gymnastics at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Artistic

South Africa sent one gymnast to the Olympics for the first time since 2004. Ryan Patterson earned his spot in the men's events at a test event in Rio de Janeiro. He was the first male South African gymnast to compete since 1956.

Men

Judo

Main article: Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa had one judoka in the men's middleweight group (90 kg) at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Zack Piontek got his place because he was one of the top 22 judokas in the world on May 30, 2016.

Rowing

Main article: Rowing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa sent five boats to compete in rowing at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Four teams earned their spots at the 2015 FISA World Championships in Lac d'Aiguebelette, France. The men’s four rowers joined the team after finishing in the top two at the 2016 European & Final Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The rowing team was announced on July 14, 2016, and included London 2012 gold medalists John Smith and James Thompson.

Men

Women

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

Athlete	Event	Heats		Repechage		Semifinals		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Lawrence Brittain Shaun Keeling	Pair	6:41.42	2 SA/B	Bye		6:27.59	3 FA	7:02.51
John Smith James Thompson	Lightweight double sculls	6:23.10	1 SA/B	Bye		6:38.01	1 FA	6:33.29	4
Vincent Breet Jake Green David Hunt Jonty Smith	Four	6:01.64	4 R	6:34.97	1 SA/B	6:15.22	2 FA	6:05.80	4

Rugby sevens

Main article: Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Men's tournament

Main article: Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament

The South Africa men's rugby sevens team got their place at the Olympics by finishing in the top four teams in the 2014–15 Sevens World Series.

Team roster

The athletes listed below were on the South Africa team for the men's rugby sevens event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Head coach: Neil Powell

Group play

Source: World Rugby
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head result; 3) Point difference; 4) Points scored.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Events	Points	Union
1	BK	Dylan Sage	(1992-01-24)24 January 1992 (aged 24)	7	40	SARU
2	FW	Philip Snyman	(1987-04-26)26 April 1987 (aged 29)	37	211	SARU
3	FW	Tim Agaba	(1989-07-23)23 July 1989 (aged 27)	7	25	SARU
4	FW	Kwagga Smith	(1993-06-11)11 June 1993 (aged 23)	24	250	SARU
5	FW	Werner Kok	(1993-01-17)17 January 1993 (aged 23)	19	210	SARU
6	FW	Kyle Brown (c)	(1987-02-06)6 February 1987 (aged 29)	56	385	SARU
7	BK	Cheslin Kolbe	(1993-10-28)28 October 1993 (aged 22)	12	192	Stormers
8	BK	Rosko Specman	(1989-04-28)28 April 1989 (aged 27)	13	169	SARU
9	BK	Justin Geduld	(1993-10-01)1 October 1993 (aged 22)	25	558	SARU
10	BK	Cecil Afrika	(1988-03-03)3 March 1988 (aged 28)	45	1,123	SARU
11	BK	Seabelo Senatla	(1993-03-10)10 March 1993 (aged 23)	29	785	Stormers
12	BK	Juan de Jongh	(1988-04-15)15 April 1988 (aged 28)	6	40	Stormers
13	BK	Francois Hougaard	(1988-04-06)6 April 1988 (aged 28)	6	25	Worcester Warriors

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	South Africa	3	2	0	1	55	12	+43	7	Quarter-finals
2	France	3	2	0	1	57	45	+12	7
3	Australia	3	2	0	1	52	48	+4	7
4	Spain	3	0	0	3	17	76	−59	3

Sailing

Main article: Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South African sailors were able to use one boat in each class. This happened because of the individual fleet World Championships. The team members were chosen on 25 May 2016.

Men

M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa had 11 male swimmers at the 2016 Olympics. Two of them were champions from 2012: Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh. One female swimmer, Michelle Weber, competed in the 10 km open water race. This was only the second time since 1994 that South Africa did not send women to the Olympic pool races.

Men

Women

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Myles Brown	200 m freestyle	1:46.78	13 Q	1:46.57	12	Did not advance
	400 m freestyle	3:45.92	12	—N/a		Did not advance
Jarred Crous	200 m breaststroke	2:12.64	25	Did not advance
Douglas Erasmus	50 m freestyle	22.37	29	Did not advance
Chad Ho	10 km open water	—N/a				1:53:04.8	10
Chad le Clos	200 m freestyle	1:45.89	3 Q	1:45.94	7 Q	1:45.20
	100 m butterfly	51.75	7 Q	51.43	2 Q	51.14
	200 m butterfly	1:55.57	3 Q	1:55.19	4 Q	1:54.06	4
Matthew Meyer	1500 m freestyle	15:36.22	41	—N/a		Did not advance
Michael Meyer	400 m individual medley	4:18.13	17	—N/a		Did not advance
Christopher Reid	100 m backstroke	53.68	12 Q	53.70	10	Did not advance
Sebastien Rousseau	400 m individual medley	4:18.72	21	—N/a		Did not advance
Brad Tandy	50 m freestyle	21.94	12 Q	21.80	8 Q	21.79	6
Cameron van der Burgh	100 m breaststroke	59.35	7 Q	59.21	3 Q	58.69
	200 m breaststroke	2:12.67	26	Did not advance
Dylan Bosch Myles Brown Calvyn Justus Sebastien Rousseau	4 × 200 m freestyle relay	7:12.61	11	—N/a		Did not advance
Dylan Bosch Myles Brown Christopher Reid Cameron van der Burgh	4 × 100 m medley relay	3:35.50	13	—N/a		Did not advance

Triathlon

Main article: Triathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics

South Africa sent four triathletes to the Olympics. Richard Murray competed before, in the 2012 Olympics. He got his spot by finishing very well in a special race in Rio de Janeiro. Henri Schoeman, Mari Rabie, and Gillian Sanders also qualified because they were among the best triathletes in the world rankings.

Athlete	Event	Swim (1.5 km)	Trans 1	Bike (40 km)	Trans 2	Run (10 km)	Total Time	Rank
Richard Murray	Men's	18:20	0:46	55:35	0:35	30:34	1:45:50	4
Henri Schoeman		17:25	0:53	55:32	0:34	32:30	1:45:43
Mari Rabie	Women's	19:04	0:52	1:01:32	0:35	37:10	1:59:13	11
Gillian Sanders		19:50	0:56	1:03:59	0:39	36:05	2:01:29	23