4 days ago
Blast from the past: SA swimmers take gold in Athens
1936 — Boxer Charles Catterall bags South Africa's only medal of the Berlin Olympics, taking silver after losing on points in the featherweight final against Oscar Casanovas of Argentina. Catterall had to beat Germany's Josef Miner in the semifinals and Theodore Kara of the US in the fourth round. This remained South Africa's worst Olympic performance until it was matched by the team at Beijing 2008. Catterall's teammate, light-heavyweight Robey Leibbrandt, finished fourth after being unable to contest the bronze medal match because of a hand injury. While black US track-and-field star Jesse Owens was defying the Nazis and their theories of racial superiority, Leibbrandt was being seduced by them. He fought for Germany during World War 2, carrying out clandestine operations in South Africa before being arrested and sentenced to death. He was later released from prison...
