One of the proudest traditions in TuksSport is how athletes and coaches step up during the Olympic Games to beat the world's best. Statistics confirm this. Since the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Tuks athletes have won nine medals (four gold, four silver and one bronze). In total, South Africa has won a total of 19 medals since 2012.

There is a real chance of Tuks athletes standing on the podium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Tatjana Smith's name immediately comes to mind.

She is in good form. During the South African Championships in Gqeherba, Smith won the 200m-breaststroke in a time of 2:19.01. It is currently the fastest in the world. In the 100m-breaststroke, she has the third fastest time (1:05.41). She is the defending 200m-breaststroke Olympian champion. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she also won silver in the 100m-breastroke. 

Pieter Coetzé can cause an upset in the 100 or 200-mm-backstroke. Earlier this year, he was the only South African swimmer to have won a medal at the World Championships in Doha. He was third in the 200m-backstroke (1:55.99). The 19-year-old won gold, silver and bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. What Coetzé might lack in international experience, he makes up with guts and determination.

The third-year medical student, Edmund du Plessis, could surprise and qualify for the 800-metre men's final. He will undoubtedly have to dig deep to do so. Judging by his performances this season, he is up to the challenge. Apart from being the South African Champion for the second consecutive year, he has won four of the seven international races in which he has competed. Two weeks ago in Dublin, he improved his best time to 1:44.20. It is the 27th fastest time this season. 

From a statistical perspective, Jovan van Vuuren should be watched. He qualified for the Games by jumping 8.30 metres. His performance ranks so far as the ninth-best this season internationally. If Van Vuuren can come close to repeating his 8.30m effort, there is a real chance he could medal, but it will take "BMT". 

It might be worthwhile for Tuks sports fans to follow John Smith and Chris Baxter's rowing heroics in the men's pairs during the Paris Games. Smith is undoubtedly one of the legends of South African rowing. Apart from winning gold at the 2012 Games, he also won gold in 2014 during the World Champs in Amsterdam. The Tuks Alumni was also victorious as an under-23 rower, winning gold in 2010 in Brest during the World Champs. He took a sabbatical after the 2021 Tokyo Games. Smith only seriously started to train again last year. It is the fourth time he will represent South Africa at the Games.

Baxter is no slouch himself when it comes to rowing. In 2022, during the World Under-23 Championships in Italy, he and Damien Bonhage-Koen won gold in the men's pairs. Their winning time of 6:19.99 was also a world record.

Paige Badenhorst will compete in the women's single sculls in Paris.

One of the most memorable moments of her career was in 2022. She was part of the Cambridge team that beat Oxford and set a new course record (18:22). It was the 76th time the two women's crews faced off on the River Thames.