Silver for Steyn at Commonwealth Games
Steyn de Lange of Ion Baciu Wrestling Club bagged a silver medal in the men's freestyle 97kg gold medal match.
POLOKWANE – Not all athletes who make their debuts at the Commonwealth Games tend to return home with medals.
Steyn de Lange of Ion Baciu Wrestling Club, however, is not one of these athletes as he represented the country in the men’s freestyle 97kg gold medal match on August 6.
De Lange was already guaranteed a medal at the auspicious games, but he was within a shot to grab the gold medal. The 20-year-old wrestler was visibly disappointed when he lost 9-3 to Canada’s Nishan Randhawa, and coach Jan Roets explains why: “I teach my wrestlers to aim for gold. I say to them that a silver medal is the worst medal, because you are so close to the gold medal. That is why he was visibly disappointed.”
Roets said he is still proud of De Lange who returned home with a silver medal. “He did well at the event and he is on the right track. He will head to America in September where he will study and also train with their wrestlers. We want to see him win a gold medal at the next Olympics.”
De Lange’s next opportunity to bag medals is at the u/23 World Wrestling Championships that is scheduled for October 17-23 in Pontevedra, Spain.
