Team South Africa enjoyed their best ever Championships performance when they scooped six medals in total, finishing third behind first-placed USA, and second placed Kenya.
We look at the South African Medalists at the recent IAAF World Championships 2017.
IAAF World Championships Medal Standings 2017
|
Rank
|
|
Gold
|
Silver
|
Bronze
|
Total
|
|
1
|
USA
|
10
|
11
|
9
|
30
|
|
2
|
Kenya
|
5
|
2
|
4
|
11
|
|
3
|
South Africa
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
6
|
Wayde Van Niekerk
|
Event
|
Medals
|
Time
|
|
400M
|
Gold
|
43.98
|
|
200M
|
Silver
|
20.11
|
South Africa’s poster boy successfully defended his 400m gold with a time of 43.98 seconds. He made it look so easy as he glided through the final the bend and stretched his lead past his nearest opponent Steve Gardiner from the Bahamas.
After his African counterpart Isaac Makwala was diagnosed with food poisoning and withdrew from the race there was speculation that, what if Makwala was in the 400m race, would the result be the same? Wayde van Niekerk responded in great fashion and silenced his critics when he won silver in the 200m event just behind gold medalist, Guliyev from Turkey.
In his emotional interview with the BBC, Wayde stated how hard he had worked and gave it his all, and how he deserves what he’s achieved. And touched on how people think he didn’t deserve the 400m victory, and he was happy to prove himself and get the respect he deserves.
Luvuyo Manyonga
|
Event
|
Medals
|
Metres
|
|
Long Jump
|
Gold
|
8.48
|
Manyonga snatched silver at the Rio Olympics 2016, but this year he dominated the field at the IAAF World Championships after he jumped into gold, at 8.48 metres. He won by four centimetres ahead of silver medalist Jarrion Lawson and 12 centimetres ahead of compatriot and bronze medalist Ruswahl Samaai.
Caster Semenya
|
Event
|
Medals
|
Metres
|
|
800M
|
Gold
|
1:55.16
|
|
1500M
|
Bronze
|
4:02.90
|
Caster Semenya succesfully defended her 800m world title with a time of 1:55.16. Semenya cruised to victory as she stretched her in the final 100 metres over her counterparts Niyonsaba and Wilson who finished with times of 1:55.92 and 1:56.65 respectively. Semenya topped off a great IAAF World Championships with two medals in the bag after her 1500m bronze medal.
Ruswahl Samaai
|
Event
|
Medals
|
Metres
|
|
Long Jump
|
Bronze
|
8.32
|
Ruswahi Samaai claimed bronze in his maiden IAAF World Championships, his most recent achievement was in 2014 at the Commonwealth games where he also claimed a bronze. Ruswahl’s jump of 8.32 metres was more than enough to take South Africa to their best IAAF World Championships performance.
Written by Lungelo Mdladla for @Hollywoodbets.net
