Team SA named for Commonwealth Games

A 169-member national team across 16 codes was announced by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) on Tuesday for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in April.

The men’s rugby sevens team would be added to the squad later in February, the governing body confirmed, and the 4x100m men’s relay athletics team would also be revealed at a later stage.

“The team is a great blend of experience and raw talent,” said Sascoc president Gideon Sam.

“I’m confident we’ll once again be right up there with the cream of the Commonwealth countries and looking to improve on our seventh place on the medals table in Glasgow four years ago.”

While some codes had hoped to be represented by larger contingents, including athletics and swimming, the size of the squad had been restricted by international limitations (placed on numbers of individual athletes) and a hybrid selection process of open and specific qualifying criteria, according to the SA team’s chef de mission Ezera Tshabangu.

The final team had been selected by a nine-member Sascoc high performance commission which submitted names to the organisation’s board.

“We wish all the selected athletes and officials the best in their final months of preparation for the Games,” Tshabangu said.

SA team:

Aquatics

Swimming, men – Ayrton Sweeney, Cameron van der Burgh, Chad le Clos, Jarryd Baxter, Brad Tandy, Brent Szurdoki, Martin Binedell, Ryan Coetzee, Eben Vorster, Luan Grobbelaar, Calvyn Justus, Michael Houlie

Swimming, women – Erin Gallagher, Tatjana Schoenmaker, Dune Coetzee, Kate Beavon, Kaylene Corbett, Emily Visagie, Marlies Ross, Nathania van Niekerk, Kristin Bellingan, Mariella Venter, Emma Chelius

Para-­swimming, men – Christian Sadie, Kaleb van der Merwe

Diving – Nicole Gillis, Micaela Bouter, Julia  Vincent

Athletics

Men – Akani Simbine, Antonio Alkana, Constant Pretorius, LJ van Zyl, Lebogang Shange, Wayne Snyman, Luvo Manyonga, Ruswahl Samaai, Phil-­Mar Janse van Rensburg, Breyton Poole

Women – Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen, Wenda Nel

Para-athletics, women – Juanelie Meijer

Para-athletics, men: Ndodomzi Ntutu, Hilton Langenhoven, Dyan Buis, Charl du Toit, Union Sekailwe, Reinhardt Hamman and Juanre Jenkinson

Badminton

Men – Bongani von Bodenstein, Cameron Coetzer, Prakash Vijayanath

Women – Elsie  de  Villiers, Johanita Scholtz, Michelle  Butler-Emmett

Boxing

Siyabulela, Mphongoshi, Sinethemba Blom

Cycling

Road, men – Willie Smit, Nicholas Dlamini, Clint Hendricks, Brendon Davids

Road, women – Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio

Track, men: Steven van Heerden, Nolan Hoffmann, David Maree, Joshua van Wyk, Gert Fouchè

Track, women – Charlene du Preez, Elfriede Wolfaardt, Ilze Bole, Danielle van Niekerk, Adelia Neethling

Mountain biking, men – Alan Hatherly

Mountain biking, women – Mariske Strauss, Cherie Redecker

Hockey

Men – Gowan Jones, Siyavuya Nolutshungu, Daniel Bell, Jethro Eustice, Gareth Heyns, Tyson Dlungwana, Austin Smith, Daniel Sibbald, Timothy Drummond, Reza Rosenburg, Ryan Julius, Owen Mvimbi, Clinton Panther, Nqobile Ntuli, Abdud-­Dayaan Cassiem, Keenan Horne, Tevin Kok and Ryan Crowe

Women – Phumelela Mbande, Nicole la Fleur, Erin Hunter, Nicole Walraven, Lisa-­Marie Deetlefs, Celia Evans, Nicolene Terblanche, Shelley Jones, Quanita Bobbs, Kristen Paton, Ilse Davids, Stephanie Baxter, Ongeziwe Mali, Dirkie Chamberlain, Candice Manuel, Sulette Damons, Jade Mayne, Bernadette Coston

Lawn bowls

Men – Gerald Baker, Petrus Breitenbach, Jason Evans, Josephus Jacobs, Morgan Muvhango

Women – Elma Davis, Esme Kruger, Nicolene Neal, Colleen Piketh, Johanna Snyman

Para-bowls, men – Tobias Botha, Willem Viljoen, Christopher Patton, Philippus Walker

Para-bowls, women – Princess Schroeder

Netball

Bongiwe Msomi, Karla Pretorius, Erin Burger, Izette Griesel, Maryka Holtzhausen, Danelle Lochner, Phumza Maweni, Precious Mthembu, Shadine van der Merwe, Ine-­Mari Venter, Zanele Vimbela, Lenize  Potgieter

Rugby sevens

Men – TBA

Women – Nadine  Roos, Eloise Webb, Unathi Mali, Rights Mkhari, Zintle Mpupha, Veroeshka Grain, Zenay Jordaan, Marithy Pienaar, Mathrin Simmers, Christelene Steinhobel, Chane Stadler, Zinthle Ndawonde

Shooting

Bartholomeus Pienaar, Pierre Basson, Arno Haasbroek, Andre du Toit

Triathlon

Men – Richard Murray, Henri Schoeman, Wian Sullwald

Women – Gillian Sanders, Simone Ackermann

Weighltifting

Johanni Taljaard, Mona Pretorius, Celestie Engelbrecht

Wrestling

Jan Louwrens Combrinck, Terry van Rensburg, Johannes Botha, Michael Gaitskill, Martin Erasmus

Para-powerlifting

Ricardo Fitzpatrick

Para-table tennis

Theo Cogill