Flag-bearer Situ earns bronze

Paralympic veteran and team flag-bearer Zanele Situ threw an eighth Team South Africa medal into the kitty at the Rio Paralympics on Tuesday evening. Situ, 45, who is now experiencing her fifth Paralympics, having already medalled in Sydney(2000) and Athens (2004), took bronze in the F54 javelin final with her third throw of the night. And making the moment even sweeter for Stellenbosch’s Situ was the fact that it was a personal best of 17.90m. Coach Karin le Roux had said in the run-in to these Games that Situ was showing close to her best form while tuning up at a few European meetings. It was an African 1-2-3 in here vent as Nigeria’s Flora Ugwuna took gold in a world record20.25m, while Tunisia’s Hania Aidialso had a personal best with an 18.88m effort. Meanwhile, in more feed back from Rio, F37 long jumper Andrea Dalle Ave spoke of his fifth place finish on Tuesday, the same result he brought back from London four years ago. “After having a bit of time to reflect on that competition, I’ve realised I must be proud of myself. Although I’m disappointed in the distance jumped on the day, fifth in the world is still a fantastic achievement,” he said. ‘The competition itself was brutal, 40°C temperature at noon, swirling wind and two world records being broken on the day. “So it was the most intense competition I’ve ever been in.” Now it is back to the books at University of Johannesburg for Dalle Ave for a two-week break before he starts thinking of next year’s World Championships in London. He is also in the mix for the Gauteng Sports Awards Personality of the Year award where he is up against Olympians Janine van Wyk (soccer) and Keagan Dolly (soccer) and cricket’s Kagiso Rabada. In the dressage arena, fourtimes Paralympian Philippa Johnson-Dwyer ended seventh in the Individual Championship Test, Grade III Final, she and Lord Louis combining for a total of 69.390%.