What a year 2024 has been for South African athletes across all sporting codes … be it football, rugby, tennis, mixed martial arts, athletics, netball, and so much more – as they shined bright like the stars that they are on the global stage.
With only a few weeks remaining until 2025, Sunday World takes you down memory lane of what an eventful and spectacular year 2024 was for most SA athletes.
Dricus du Plessis became the first South African to win a UFC title:
Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Dricus du Plessis was one of the first history makers on our sporting calendar, as he became the first South African to win the Ultimate Fighting Champions (UFC) title in January.
Du Plessis beat American Sean Strickland and won what was a well-contested bout by a split decision.
The UFC middleweight champion went on to defend his title against fellow African Israel Adesanya in August and will go into the new year as the undisputed middleweight top dog.
Bafana Bafana bronze
medal at Afcon:
Despite all the odds and expectations stacked against them, Bafana Bafana alongside their greyhead mastermind Hugo Broos, did the unthinkable on the continental showpiece when they produced a memorable podium finish in February.
Bafana clinched a bronze medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast – their first-ever podium finish in 24 years.
The Afcon in Ivory Coast was nothing short of quality, entertainment, emotion, agony, ecstasy, and jam-packed action from start to finish.
Broos and his men have recently secured qualification for the 2025 Afcon competition in Morocco next year, where they will be expected to take the bar even higher.
They qualified with two matches to spare, making football-loving South Africans to have believe once again in the boys.
Kgothatso Montjane wins Wimbledon title:
After finishing as runners-up last year, Kgothatso ‘KG’ Montjane finally got to win the elusive wheelchair doubles trophy at Wimbledon with Japanese teammate Yui Kamiji.
Even though the SA wheelchair tennis supremo did not get an opportunity to compete at the Paris Paralympics due to the passing of her mother, KG remains one of the greatest South African tennis players to ever grace the court.
Ronwen Williams’ Ballon d’Or nomination:
Following his impressive showing at the Afcon as well as with Mamelodi Sundowns, goalkeeper Ronwen Williams could not have rewritten
history any better than he did.
Willaims became the first African-based player to get nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or Awards Yashin Trophy.
He is now dominating the upcoming CAF Awards nominations that will be held in Morocco tomorrow and is expected to win all the awards for which he is nominated.
Apart from the Ballon d’Or nod, one of Ronza’s many highlights was his saves of four penal-ties against Cape Verde in the quarterfinal of the Afcon – the first goalkeeper to save four out of five spot kicks.
Olympic 4x100m relay team winning silver in Paris:
The ‘No DNA, just RSA’ phenomenon gained momentum when the South African men’s 4x100m relay team, led by Akani Simbine, clinched a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in France.
Led by the experienced Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswanganyi and schoolboy Bayanda Walaza ended a long wait for a track and field medal for SA.
Springboks’ continuous dominance in world rugby:
The Springboks are arguably the flagbearers of SA sports, as their consistency and agonizing dominance continue to put Mzansi on the map as a great sporting nation.
The team and coach Rassie Erasmus delivered the goods this year as they won 11 out of 13 Tests. The two defeats came against Ireland and Argentina – of which they could easily have ended in victory as they were both by one-point margins. Even so, Amabhokobho concluded the year at the top of World Rugby’s official rankings.
