1908 — Reggie Walker claims South Africa’s first-ever Olympic medal, winning the 100m crown at the 1908 Games in London. The 19-year-old from KwaZulu-Natal, who was not initially picked for the national team, equalled the Olympic record of 10.8 sec, the fraction measured as 4/5 in those days. Walker took an early lead, but was overtaken by American James Rector at the halfway point. The South African fought back and drew level for six yards, according to the official Olympic report, before shooting ahead to win by three feet. Rector was second and Canada’s Robert Kerr, who won the 200m crown, was third.
1933 — Australia thump the Springboks 21-6 at Kingsmead in Durban to level the five-match series 1-1. They scored four tries to South Africa’s solitary effort by winger Frankie Waring.
1952 — Sprinter Daphne Hasenjäger, the only female of South Africa’s 1948 Olympic team, takes silver in the women’s 100m at the Helsinki Games. Her 11.8 sec was no match for the 11.5 world record Australian Marjorie Jackson pulled off in the final and the semifinals. Two Aussies finished third and fourth, both being credited with a time of 11.9 sec.
1958 — Gert Potgieter breaks his own 440-yard world record in Cardiff as he wins the Empire Games gold in 49.7 sec — one year after breaking his neck at a club rugby practice. Potgieter, a Pretoria-based detective, played wing and centre for Northern Transvaal. He had suffered three broken vertebrae and national athletics officials had claimed his athletics career was over, though he was back at work in a neck brace within a few days, doing light duties. Potgieter’s previous world record was 50.7. Converted into metres, his time was considered to be faster than the official 400m world record of 49.5 held by American Glenn Davis.
1967 — The Springboks beat France 16-3 in the second Test in Bloemfontein to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. South Africa’s three tries came from centre Eben Olivier and wingers Corra Dirksen and Jannie Engelbrecht. Fullback HO de Villiers converted two and lock Tiny Naude added a penalty.
1995 — South Africa beat England 77-54 in their group Y contest at the netball world championships in Birmingham to secure their path to the final.
1996 — Swimmer Marianne Kriel wins South Africa’s second Olympic medal of the Atlanta Games, taking bronze in the women’s 100m breaststroke in a 1 min 02.12 sec African record.
2000 — Daryll Cullinan, resuming on 27, scores an unbeaten 114 as the Proteas are bowled out for 238 on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
2000 — Flyhalf Braam van Straaten slots three penalties and fullback Percy Montgomery one drop as South Africa lose 12-25 to the All Blacks in a Tri-Nations match in Christchurch. The Kiwis’ mercurial fullback Christian Cullen scored both of his team’s two tries.
2006 — The Springboks match the All Blacks at two tries each, but go down 17-35 in a Tri-Nations match in Wellington. Scrumhalf Fourie du Preez and wing Breyton Paulse dotted down for South Africa and fullback Percy Montgomery converted both. New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter landed seven penalties to South Africa’s one.
2012 — Hashim Amla becomes the first South African cricketer to score a triple century on the fourth day of the first Test against England at the Oval. Amla started batting on the second day, reaching stumps on 47 before batting through the third day to 183 not out. He reached 300 off 515 balls in 12 hours and 49 minutes. By the time captain Graeme Smith declared with the total on 637/2, Amla was unbeaten on 311 from 529 deliveries and he’d been at the crease for 13 hours and 10 minutes. Jacques Kallis, who had resumed on 82, made 182 not out.
2012 — Eighteen years after winning his first major title, Ernie Els takes the British Open crown at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He hadn’t won in two years, and he didn’t lead at any point during the Open until he nailed a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole to edge Australian Adam Scott by one shot. Els shot 32 on the back nine for a final round 68 that gave him overall seven under par 273.
2018 — Keshav Maharaj finishes with three wickets — claiming a match haul of 12/283 — before Sri Lanka declare on 275/5, setting South Africa a target of 490 to win the second Test in Colombo.
2021 — David Miller scores an unbeaten 75 off 44 deliveries as the Proteas, on 159/7, beat Ireland by 42 runs in the second T20 in Belfast for an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Tabraiz Shamsi took 3/14 and Bjorn Fortuin 3/16.
2022 — Businessman John Black and mechanical engineer Warren Eva become the first South Africans to summit K2, at 8,611m the second-tallest peak in the world. The pair, part of an all-South African expedition, reached the top of the “Savage Mountain” at 1.50am
2022 — The Proteas are bowled out for 83, with Heinrich Klaasen top-scoring 33 not out, to lose the second ODI against England in Manchester by 118 runs. With the final third match being rained out the series ended in a 1-1 draw.
2022 — Bafana Bafana beat Comoros 1-0 in an African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier at the Malouzini stadium.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.