The 2024 Paris Olympics is officially in full swing, and South Africans competing in their events have done an excellent job representing the nation
Thus far we have witnessed how the men’s rugby team, the Blitzboks and mountain biker Alan Hatherly won bronze, and the recently retired Tatjana Smith won both silver and gold in her respective swimming competitions.
But one of the proudest moments for many has been the number of Olympic athletes that are related to other big names in the world of South African sport.
Wade van Niekerk and Kayla Swarts
When it comes to track competitions, South Africans are well familiar with the name Wade van Niekerk.
The 400m sprinter earned the attention of the entire world when he won gold at the 2016 Olympics after showing off an exciting display of determination to win his 400m race with a time of 43.03 seconds – in the process breaking a nearly two-decade-long record set by Michael Johnson in 1999.
This year Wade’s mother Odessa Swarts, a former athlete, is fortunate to see both her children compete at the biggest stage of sport. This is because her daughter Kayla has also been showing off her skills at the Paris Olympics in the world of hockey.
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Speaking to Olympics.com the 21- 21-year-old says that it was crazy to think that she and her older brother will be competing together.
“I was there in the stadium, watching him that day break the record and seeing how ecstatic my family was.
“I was like, ‘Oh my, I hope one day I also get to feel this and have my family come to watch me, it would be so cool for me.,” she explained.
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Meanwhile, this is not the first time Wade had a relative by his side in the Olympic camp, at Rio 2016 he was accompanied by the 2x World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe.
Tristan and Dillyn Leyds
Sported at the Paris Olympics was the Springbok wing Dillyn Leyds. Dillyn, a former Stormers utility back knows all about what it takes to compete in rugby at the highest levels so much so that it resulted in him winning Europe’s biggest club competition the Champions Cup with his new club La Rochelle in France.
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When his baby brother and Springbok sevens player Tristan Leyds came to the Olympics, his big brother just had to watch. Tristian ended up winning bronze.
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Tatjana Smith and Rachel Kolisi
The Olympic gold medalist is the sister-in-law of Rachel Kolisi and her husband, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. Tatjana married Racahel’s brother Joel in November last year in a beautiful ceremony.
Following her victory at this year’s tournament, Rachel was spotted sharing multiple posts congratulating her.
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Also see: Tatjana Smith ends career on a high and announces retirement
