Covid-19 might have delayed the Olympics for a year, but plans to hone SA's relay squads into medal-winning machines remain on track.
The year's first training camp is set for Tuks at the end of February, relays coach Paul Gorries said this week, adding that competition for spots in the 4x100m combination was hotting up.
"There are six spots for the Olympics, and about double the number of sprinters keen to make the team."
Akani Simbine, SA's contender in the individual 100m event, is the one guaranteed starter in the team, having anchored the team to silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and steadying SA to fifth spot at the world championships in Doha in 2019.
"I've been in contact with the guys in the US, Anaso [Jobodwana] and Phatu [Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi]. They are keen."
SA hasn't won an Olympic relay medal on the track for just more than a century. Bevil Rudd, also the 400m champion and 800m bronze medallist, anchored the 4x400m team to silver at Antwerp 1920.
While the men's 4x100m team has already booked their ticket to Tokyo, the men's 4x400m outfit must still secure theirs.
But Gorries believes that, at full strength, they have enough potential to claim silverware. He is hopeful that SA's Olympic 400m champion from Rio 2016, Wayde van Niekerk, will be part of the team.
Van Niekerk, returning from injury in 2017, has yet to qualify for the individual race, though that shouldn't be a problem if he gets the opportunity to race regularly.
And if youngsters like Derrick Mokaleng and Gardeo Isaacs are able to break 45 seconds, and if hurdler Soks Zazini can get close, this unit will be punching it out for a podium finish.
There are other contenders pushing for a spot here.
Calming factor
"Wayde would bring a calming factor to the squad, like Akani did for the 4x100m," said Gorries.
Van Niekerk has also run the 4x100m in the past, but the Olympic schedule makes that almost impossible, with the relay heats on the same day as the 400m final, and the relay final the following day.
But even without Van Niekerk - the first man in the world to run a sub-44 400m, sub-20 200m and sub-10 100m - there's no shortage of contenders for the shorter relay.
The first SA man to break 10 seconds in the 100m, Simon Magakwe, national 200m record-holder Clarence Munyai, Kyle Appel, Henricho Bruintjies, Chederick van Wyk, Thando Roto, Emile Erasmus, Thando Dlodlo and Gift Leotlela are all competing for spots.
The majority of them are based at Tuks Athletics, and that factor could boost SA's chances further, says Steven Ball, who is to take over as director of Tuks Sport in March.
SA's last Olympic relay success came in swimming at Athens 2004, when Roland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling, Lyndon Ferns and Darian Townsend took gold in the 4x100m freestyle. Schoeman, Neethling and Ferns trained together at the University of Arizona.
SA rowing's lightweight men four who claimed gold at London 2012 were all based at Tuks.
"If you think what was the success of the 4x100m freestyle relay in Athens and the awesome foursome in London, it was a collective of people who believe in a dream that came together for a common purpose and were in training and close proximity with each other at crucial points.
"I think that's what we're starting to see with this 4x100m relay," added Ball. "I know Paul is doing good work with them at the moment, we've got some really good athletes in that system."
Gorries said further camps were planned for Tuks in March and April, and he intended to race them at World Relays in Poland in May and at the African championships set for Algeria a month or so later.
Recent success
Before the 4x100m relay team's recent success, Gorries said it had taken time to convince the sprinters to take part in the project.
When he first got involved in late 2015 he found it hard going, though he had Simbine's support from early on. "He's the first one who bought into it."
A silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a 37.65sec SA record at the world championships in Doha convinced a lot of people of the potential.
Only four can compete in the relay final, and Simbine picks himself.
"It's about choosing the other three," said Gorries. "It'll be who wants it the most."
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