1912 — Ken McArthur and Christian Gitsham give South Africa their second one-two finish of the Stockholm Olympics, in the marathon. McArthur, after whom the athletics stadium in Potchefstroom is named, won in 2 hr 36 min 54.8 sec ahead of Gitsham (2:37:52) and American Gaston Strobino (2:38:42.4). Tennis players Charles Winslow and Harry Kitson did it in the singles competition a week or so earlier, but it’s a feat no other South Africans have managed since. The double pushed South Africa’s total tally to four golds and two silver, still the country’s best haul of gold medals from one Olympics.
1951 — Abe Segal wins two titles at the Irish Open in Dublin. He beat local Guy Jackson 6-3 6-4 6-0 for the singles crown and then teamed up with countryman Russell Seymour to land the men’s doubles with a 6-4 6-0 6-1 victory over Jackson and Joe Hackett.
1956 — The Springboks go down 6-10 to the All Blacks in Dunedin in the opening match of their four-Test series. Centre Pee-wee Howe scored South Africa’s only try on his international debut. Fullback Roy Dryburgh added a penalty.
1966 — Denis Hutchinson secures his fourth and final win in Europe, taking the French Open at Versailles on Bastille Day by one stroke with a 14-under-par 274.
2000 – The Proteas crash to a 30-run defeat against hosts Sri Lanka in the final of triangular series in Colombo. Sri Lanka made 294/7 with opener Sanath Jayasuriya scoring 68 and Russel Arnold 51. Gary Kirsten made 76, but with nobody else reaching a half-century, South Africa limped to 264/9 in their 50 overs. Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was named man of the match, taking 5/44. South Africa failed to beat the hosts in that tournament, which also featured Pakistan.
2001 — Matthew Booth and Bradley August score goals as Bafana Bafana beat Malawi 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Durban.
2007 — A second-string Springbok team is hammered 6-33 by New Zealand in a Tri-Nations match in Christchurch. Flyhalf Dan Carter scored one of the hosts’ three tries and converted all three and kicked four penalties. South African flyhalf Derick Hougaard kicked two penalties.
2007 – Long-jumper Karin Mey leaps 6.93m in Bad Langensalza, Germany, to break Karen Botha’s South African record from 1990. Mey, winner of the competition that day, equalled that mark a year later before switching allegiance to Turkey.
2007 — Takalani Ndlovu fails in his first bid for the IBF junior-featherweight title, getting stopped in the ninth round by Canadian Steve Molitor in Orillia. Ndlovu would fight Molitor twice more for the same belt, winning on the third attempt.
2008 — Hashim Amla, resuming on 20, scores an unbeaten 104 as South Africa declare their follow-on innings on 393/3 to draw the first Test against England at Lord’s.
2013 — Sean Rice and Michele Eray win the men’s and women’s races at the inaugural ICF canoe ocean racing world championships in Vila do Condo in Portugal. Eray led a South African-dominated podium with Michelle Burn and Nikki Mocke taking the women’s silver and bronze.
2018 — Vernon Philander top-scores with an unbeaten 22 as the Proteas are bowled out by Sri Lanka for 73 to lose the first Test in Galle by 278 runs.
2019 — Daryl Impey wins the 170.5km ninth stage of the Tour de France from Saint-Etienne to Brioude.
2019 — Lenize Potgieter scores 36 points as the Proteas beat Jamaica 55-52 to take top spot in Group C at the Netball World Cup in Liverpool.
2019 — Dylan Frittelli scores his maiden PGA Tour triumph, winning the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, by two strokes. Frittelli shot a 21-under-par 263 to end atop a field that included stars like Collin Morikawa, Charles Howell III, Viktor Hovland and Zach Johnson.
2021 — Bafana Bafana and Zambia play to a goalless draw in a Cosafa Cup group match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
2022 — Jay Seoposenwe scores to give Banyana Banyana a 1-0 win over Tunisia in their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal in Rabat.
2023 — Tshegofatso Mabasa scores late in the first half to put Bafana Bafana 1-0 up, but Zambia hit back to win their Cosafa Cup semifinal at King Zwelithini Stadium 2-1.
2025 — Rubin Hermann scores 45 and Dewald Brewis 41 as the Proteas beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the first T20 of a tri-series in Harare. George Linde took 3/10 to help South Africa limit the home side to 141/6.
2025 — Lebohang Ramalepe, Refiloe Jane, Hildah Magaia and Ronnel Donnelly score goals as Banyana Banyana beat Mali 4-0 in their final Women’s Africa Cup of Nations group match in Oujda, Morocco.
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