An emotional reunion as Elana and Deratu meet again in Barcelona – host city...
by Stephen Granger
Elana Meyer and Deratu Tulu’s shared celebration of their gold and silver medal-winning performances in the 10 000m at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics remains one of the world’s most powerful images. Thirty years after the two young athletes...
Olympics Special – SA’s Olympics marathoners to make the most of Sapporo
By Stephen Granger
Tatjana Schoenmaker’s gold medal in the 200m breaststroke was undoubtedly the high point of South Africa’s Tokyo Olympic endeavours, while surfer Bianca Buitendag’s silver medal proved an added delight. Can the talented marathon team, currently honing their...
Gerda Steyn’s ultra-long route to Japan
It’s 13 786 km from Durban, South Africa, to Sapporo, Japan, but Gerda Steyn will attempt to bridge the distance between the Comrades and the Olympics marathons with a few strides next Saturday, 7 August, as she goes to the...
Olympics Special – Mokgobu’s dreams of gold
Story by Stephen Granger
Desmond Mokgobu is running shoulder to shoulder with one of host Japan’s favourite marathoners, in the final stages of the biggest race of his life. The two enter the stadium almost stride for stride, but Mokgobu’s...
Olympics Special – African athletes to watch at the Tokyo Olympics
As the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games gather steam, African countries are looking to bag more gold, silver and bronze medals - in a wider selection of sports - than ever before. Here are some athletes to watch.
Seth Onyango,...
A family’s dream rests on “Black Bombers” Olympic fortunes
When the Ghanaian boxing team, “The Black Bombers” take on their opponents at this year's Olympics in Japan, a lot of the pressure will be on light heavyweight slugger, Shakur Samed, 22, who is out to fulfil a long-standing...
Olympics Special – Nigeria’s first woman track & field gold medalist
Chioma Ajunwa was the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a field event. She didn't understand the significance until she was swamped by a crowd during a stopover in Senegal, on the way home.
By Humphrey...
Olympics Special: Irvette Van Zyl’s remarkable comeback
By Stephen Granger
In May 2020, three-time Soweto Marathon and SPAR Grand Prix 10km series winner, Irvette Van Zyl, chose to go under the knife to relieve the nagging knee pain she had experienced ever since a scooter accident as...
Olympics Special – Elroy Gelant on chasing that medal with the “lion pack”
By Stephen Granger
Elroy Gelant faces one of the biggest tests of his athletics career in Japan in three weeks’ time when he lines up at the start of the Olympic Marathon in Sapporo, 800km north of the Olympic City...
Olympics Special – Stephen Mokoka’s mission in Sapporo
Stephen Mokoka feeds of the support from an activation station en route to winning the 2018 Cape Town Marathon. Photo: Stephen Granger
South African distance running supremo, Stephen Lesego Mokoka, is a man on an extraordinary mission: to follow in...