Crossing the finish line of the Olympic marathon in Paris on Sunday morning was an emotional end to a 12-year journey for Irvette van Zyl.
It’s a gruelling journey that has taken her through the depths of despair – an Achilles injury preventing her from finishing in London in 2012, a late stress fracture then keeping her from even getting to the start line in Rio four years later and a back injury seeing her pulling out in Tokyo 2021 – and ultimately to the edge of quitting the sport altogether.
But those harrowing memories were placed firmly behind her as she triumphantly lifted her arms on reaching the finish in central Paris on Sunday in a time of 2:31:14.
Her position of 37th over eight minutes behind Dutch winner Sifan Hassan, made very little difference. She had finally accomplished her Olympic dream.
🏃♀ 𝕎𝕆𝕄𝔼ℕ’𝕊 𝕄𝔸ℝ𝔸𝕋ℍ𝕆ℕ 🏃♀#TeamSA's 🇿🇦 Cian Oldknow crossed the line in 32nd, Irvette van Zyl in 37th, and Gerda Steyn in 45th place.#TeamSA #ForMyCountry #Olympics pic.twitter.com/6VHmJYPaHr
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) August 11, 2024
'FIGHTING THE DEMONS IN MY HEAD'
“It must be the longest anyone has taken to finish… 12 years, it took me 12 years, I think that's a PB for anyone,” she joked afterwards. “It feels so good… It feels better to finish than not to finish, I must say.”
With tears of joy rolling down her cheeks, Van Zyl added: “I'm very happy today. It doesn't matter what time or position, I just needed to finish... I'm so grateful. I almost quit my career for this.
“Failing every time, training so hard for this Olympic dream that I was not able to fulfil and Tokyo was like the last push.”
The 37-year-old said while she enjoyed the hills on the course, it was tough going along the route, fighting the voices of doubt in her own head.
“I felt quite good. It was just fighting the demons in my head the whole time. I think that's the hardest part of completing a marathon you weren’t able to do over the years, for so long. I think being able to just fight those demons all the way and stay as comfortable as possible… I'm just so grateful today,” added the mom of two.
OLDKNOW RELISHES 'AMAZING EXPERIENCE'
Meanwhile, crossing the finish line less than a minute ahead of Van Zyl in 32nd place was compatriot Cian Oldknow in 2:30:29.
Oldknow has enjoyed an incredible rise this year, achieving the qualifying time for these Olympics in her first ever international marathon.
Oldknow was thrilled with her day’s work, despite calling it the toughest race she’s run so far.
“It was tough, but I had an amazing experience. I was feeling good until about 37km, then the last few km, I really just had to stick it out and try get to the finish,” she said afterwards.
“My first five km, I went out smart and then I went out a little bit aggressively in those next 10km, more so than I normally would have done, but I was just going with the pack then and I think it paid off. I'm really happy with how I did and how the race played out.”
COMRADES QUEEN STEYN PROUD TO FINISH
The third South African across the line was Comrades queen Gerda Steyn who finished 45th in 2:32:51.
While her race didn’t go according to plan, Steyn was enthusiastic about the experience.
“For me personally it was quite a tough race,” she said. “I just felt a little bit flat from the gun and I thought I'd be able to work through it and when it got to the hills, I'm in my comfort zone and I was confident that my strengths would come out when the hills started.
“But I just couldn't really get into my real rhythm, feeling like myself. However, it didn't put such a shadow on the experience. I'm very, very proud to finish. I'm proud to represent the green and gold.”
Steyn described 2024 as the best year of her career so far, having won both the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathon in course record time before heading to Paris for the Olympics.
While some suggested the ultramarathons may have taken too much out of her heading into these Games, Steyn reckoned: “I don't think it was an after-effect. I felt really good during my training. My training was really as good as ever, so I wouldn't say at all it had an effect.
“I just think that it was one of those days,” she added, also looking ahead to a potential third Olympic campaign.
“Based on the experience that I've had today, if I get the opportunity to do something like this again in my career, I would grab it with both hands,” she said.
“It's just such an honour and such a small percentage of the world's population get the chance to represent the country on a stage like this. So if it gets to 2028 and I get that opportunity, certainly I will grab it with both hands.”
DE LANGE MISSES CHANCE TO WRESTLE FOR BRONZE
Meanwhile, the only other South African in action on the final day of the Olympic Games was Steyn de Lange on the wrestling mat.
The 22-year-old came up against Murazi Mchedlidze in the men’s 97kg repechage with a place in the bronze medal bout on the line. But the Ukrainian edged the South African 5-3.
💪🏽 𝕄𝔼ℕ'𝕊 𝕎ℝ𝔼𝕊𝕋𝕃𝕀ℕ𝔾 💪🏽#TeamSA's 🇿🇦 Nicolaas de Lange is out of the competition after his repechage in the 97kg Freestyle Wrestling.#TeamSA #ForMyCountry #olympics pic.twitter.com/pIBsWqUSmL
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) August 11, 2024