Paris 2024: Team SA in action on Saturday at the Paris Olympic Games
South Africa competes in nine sporting codes: Badminton, equestrian, hockey, judo, rowing, rugby sevens, skateboarding, surfing and swimming.
Team South Africa at the Paris Olympic Games. Picture: @OfficialTeamRSA/X.
JOHANNESBURG – The Paris 2024 Games officially jump to life on Saturday following Friday night’s opening ceremony.
Fourteen golds are up for grabs across various sporting codes. South Africa competes in nine sporting codes: Badminton, equestrian, hockey, judo, rowing, rugby sevens, skateboarding, surfing and swimming.
Rugby sevens is already at the semi-final stage, with Team SA taking on hosts France in hopes of reaching the gold medal match against the winner of the other last-four clash between holders Fiji and Australia. Should Blitzboks go down to France they will take on the losers of Fiji and Australia for the bronze medal.
TEAM SA:
BADMINTON
South Africa’s Johanita Scholtz will compete against Korea’s Kim-Ga Eun. Scholtz is one of the highest-ranking African badminton players and is the current African Games champion. Scholtz is ranked No43 in the world and Eun is ranked No13.
EQUESTRIAN
Alexander Peternell and his horse Figaro des Premices will represent South Africa in the Individual dressage. The pair have competed together since 2020 with Peternell making his Olympic debut at London 2012, finishing 49th.
HOCKEY
Men’s Pool A : Team SA vs Netherlands
JUDO
South Africa’s Geronay Whitebooi will take on Argentina’s Jacqueline Solis in the women’s – 48kg elimination round of 32. Whitebooi won silver in her first competition in 2007 at the SA Championships. In April 2019, the judoka won gold at the 40th African Judo Championship, becoming the first South African woman to win Judo Gold at the Champs in 20 years. Whitebooi made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, she is ranked 39 and Solis is ranked No63.
ROWING
Paige Badenhorst is making her Olympic debut as she competes in the women’s single scull heats. There are 6 heats of 5 competitors. The first 3 in each heat progress to the quarterfinals. The remainder head to the repechages.
RUGBY SEVENS
Men’s semi-final: Team SA vs France
SKATEBOARDING
Brandon Valjalo will compete in the street heats with possibility of competing in the final later on Saturday. He finished 18th in men's street when the sport made its debut at Tokyo 2020. Valjalo is a Four-time South African champion and Two-time African champion.
SURFING
Men’s first-round, heats Jordy Smith and Matt McGillivray. Smith qualified for surfing's debut Olympic competition at Tokyo 2020 but withdrew a month before the Games due to an LCL tear in his knee that needed reconstruction surgery. And McGillivray is a first time Olympian.
Women’s first-round, heats Sarah Baum is a first-time Olympian. She grew up and trained with Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Bianca Buitendag.
SWIMMING
Erin Gallagher will be competing in the 100m butterfly heats, hoping to make it to the semi-finals later on Saturday. She ranked 26th at the Tokyo Olympics in this event and 7th at Doha 2024. She made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, competing in the heats of two individual events (100m freestyle, 100m butterfly) and two relay events (4x200m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay). And is a silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (50m butterfly).