Smith and Coetze coast into finals as Team SA target more Olympic medals

Following a memorable weekend, the SA team will be gunning for more medals on Monday, on the third day of competition at the Olympic Games in Paris.

With the Blitzboks having picked up the nation’s first medal, earning bronze in the rugby sevens tournament on Saturday, the SA team look set to return to the podium.

Ranked second in the world, mountain bike cyclist Alan Hatherly is set to line up among the medal favourites in the men’s cross country race on Monday afternoon (2.10pm).

In addition, swimmers Pieter Coetze (100m backstroke, 9.19pm) and Tatjana Smith (9.25pm) will be among the podium favourites in the evening session in the swimming pool.

Smith was fastest in the 100m breaststroke semifinals on Sunday night, stopping the clock in a season’s best of 1:05.00, while Coetze was third quickest in the 100m backstroke semifinals in 52.63 seconds, breaking his own African record of 52.78.

Aimee Canny was 12th overall in 1:57.34 in the 200m freestyle semifinals, falling short of a spot in the final.

Other results

Meanwhile, the men’s rowing pair of John Smith and Christopher Baxter finished second on Sunday in their first-round heat in 6:36.71, progressing to the semifinals of their event to be held on Wednesday.

Though she was tipped as an outside medal hope, cyclist Candice Lill was unable to challenge for a podium place in the women’s cross country mountain bike contest.

Lill started well in the 30.8km race, and she was lying 10th on the second lap, but she slipped back and ultimately settled for 20th position, more than nine minutes off the pace.

Elsewhere, on the hockey field, the SA men’s team drew 2-2 against Great Britain in their second pool match and the women’s side lost 2-1 in their opening game, while fencer Harry Saner was eliminated in the opening round of the men’s individual epee competition.

Alexander Peternall was 51st in the men’s individual eventing cross country equestrian event, and Boipelo Awuah was 18th overall in the women’s street skateboarding competition, missing out on a spot in the final.

In the women’s rugby sevens tournament, the SA team lost to Australia (34-5) and Ireland (38-0) in their first two pool matches.

Rooskrantz injured

There was also disappointment for artistic gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz after she withdrew from the all-round competition.

Rooskrantz, who carried the SA flag alongside sprinter Akani Simbine at the opening ceremony on Friday, injured her right foot during the qualifying round of the floor exercise yesterday.

She was taken for an MRI scan in order to assess whether she could compete in individual apparatus this week.