Pole-vaulter Kyle Rademeyer sailed to Commonwealth Games silver in Glasgow on Saturday night to lift Team South Africa’s medal haul to 28, one better than they achieved in Birmingham four years ago.
Earlier in the day, judoka Timothy Meuwsen won silver in the men’s -81kg class, and Zakithi Nene scooped the men’s 400m bronze.
The country’s two track-and-field Olympic silver medallists from Paris 2024 — the men’s 4x100m team and javelin-thrower Jo-Ane du Plessis — were unable to reach the podium.
But when Rademeyer went soaring over the bar at 5.40m, he was guaranteed a spot on the podium; he secured South Africa’s first pole-vault medal since Okkert Brits took gold at Manchester 2002.
Rademeyer and Englishman Owen Heard both cleared 5.70m, a season’s best for the South African, but they both failed at 5.80m.
Rademeyer placed second on countback.
Australia’s defending champion Kurtis Marschall, who won the competition for the third time in a row by clearing 5.80, went on to set a 5.85m Games record.
In other late action, Karabo More ended 12th in the women’s mile and Tshepo Tshite 10th in the men’s mile.
Nene bounced back after a forgettable heat to take the 400m bronze on Saturday afternoon, leaning so hard into his dip that he fell over onto the track.
Nene, who had faded badly in the home straight in the previous round, only got into the final after one of his heat rivals had been disqualified, promoting him to a fastest loser.
And the seasoned campaigner returned with a new strategy, going out slower and leaving enough gas for the sprint for the line.
It worked a charm as he crossed the line in 45.21sec, just ahead of Botswana’s Lee Eppie in 45.31, to secure South Africa’s first medal in this event since Wayde van Niekerk took silver at Glasgow 2014.
Nigerian Samuel Ogazi, the world No 1 this year, won in 44.25, with Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago, the 200m champion in 2018 and 2022, second in 44.82.
Zambia’s defending champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Muzala Samukonga, was sixth in 45.61.
Meuwsen lost in the final to Amir Bin Abdul Majeed of Malaysia, who scored a waza-ari to win the four-minute match.
The 24-year-old Meuwsen had needed 17 seconds to see off Samoan Peniamina Percival in his quarterfinal and then had to go to extra time, known as golden score, against Odysseas Georgakis of Cyprus before achieving an ippon.
Teammate Skye Knoester lost the bronze medal match in the women’s -63kg division, being floored for an ippon by India’s Unnati Sharma.
For the first time South Africa failed to win a Commonwealth Games medal in bowls, having done so not only since readmission at Victoria in 1994 but also from the inaugural showpiece in 1930 until isolation after 1958.
The tournament was played indoors and offered no triples or fours competitions.
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