There were some breath-taking moments in 2024 that we can’t ignore. Here are the few worth highlighting:
• Tatjana Smith wins unprecedented gold
The swimmer’s historical victory in the 100m breaststroke at the Paris Olympics took exactly 1min 05.28sec, but in reality it was the final 34.66 seconds that counted. Smith became the first South African to win Olympic gold medals at different Games in real time after fighting back from the middle of the field in the 100m breaststroke final. Fourth at the turn, she torpedoed across the final lap, picking off the three medal rivals ahead of her — Benedetta Pilato of Italy, Ireland’s Mona McSharry and pre-race favourite Qianting Tang of China. Pilato was the second fastest over those final 50 metres, in 34.98, followed by McSharry (35.03) and Tang (35.6).
• Akani Simbine’s anchor lap in the 4x100m relay
Four South African men walked away with Olympic silver from the men’s 4x100m relay, but Simbine’s lightning anchor leg performance was the key. He raced down the home straight in 8.75sec, the third-fastest anchor leg of all time, behind only Jamaican superstars Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell.
• Blitzboks win Olympic bronze
The Blitzboks were cruising against Australia in the play-off for Olympic bronze in Paris, leading 19-7. Then the Aussies scored two tries to draw level at 19-19. That’s when South Africa threw the ball around before Shaun Williams made the charge and crucial offload to captain Selvyn Davids, who broke free down the touchline. But the skipper handed the ball to Williams to dot down for the winning try.
• Boks prevail in Brisbane
The Springboks’ first victory in Brisbane in 11 years came in emphatic fashion in August. The Boks had suffered four defeats straight at Suncorp Stadium before thoroughly vanquishing the Wallabies 33-7. Playing lock on this occasion, the incomparable Pieter-Steph du Toit delivered another commanding performance and was rewarded with a try, while try-scoring ace Kurt-Lee Arendse dotted down twice as the Boks won the first of back-to-back Tests in Australia.
• SA bags first Rugby Championship since 2019
The Springboks’ resounding 48-7 victory over Argentina in Mbombela didn’ t just give them a measure of revenge after their much-altered team lost the previous week in Santiago, but it handed them their first Rugby Championship title since 2019. The Boks showcased not just their familiar muscle, but they also displayed their prowess as a gradually improving attacking force. The match was a personal triumph for Eben Etzebeth, who became the most capped Bok.
• Springboks reclaim No 1 spot
A Bok win over Wales wouldn’t ordinarily blip on the radar as a measure of vast over-achievement. The final whistle in the Principality Stadium, however, didn’t just bring down the curtain on their 45-12 win, but it signified the completion of their first end of the year clean sweep on a northern hemisphere tour since 2013. It meant the Rugby World Cup holders finished the year having reclaimed the No 1 spot.
• Phumelela Cafu, 5th round versus Kosei Tanaka
The boxing champion endured a war against Kosei Tanaka before winning the WBO junior-bantamweight title by split decision — and it all went down to the fifth round. Tanaka missed with a right uppercut and Cafu, seeing the opening, countered with a right of his own, felling his opponent for a brief count. That knockdown proved critical, with the two judges giving him the fight by margins of 114-113.
• Proteas qualifying for first ICC men’s final.
Aiden Markram’s side matched their female counterparts — who did the same a year earlier — to reach the T20 World Cup final after a remarkable campaign that took them from New York to Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago, and then Barbados. It all ended in tears, but it was a significant step for a country that has historically underachieved at ICC events.
• Kagiso Rabada 300 Test wickets
Two stumps were blown from their positions as Mushfiqur Rahim became Rabada’s 300th Test wicket. He became only the sixth South African to achieve that historic landmark, which stamped his greatness.
• Minnows Magesi FC shock Sundowns in final
The PSL rookies wrote their own history when they beat Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in the final of the Carling Knockout Cup in Free State. The Limpopo club had also surprised many on their way to the final, beating cup specialists Orlando Pirates first before shocking Sundowns in November.
• Ademola Lookman shines for Nigeria and Atalanta
Who can forget Lookman’s stunning hat-trick for Atalanta in Europa League final in May? For helping Atalanta win that title and propelling Nigeria to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast early this year, Lookman deserves to be crowned as Africa's Footballer of the Year.
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