Early mornings well worth it for South Africans

The 2016 Rio Olympics have drawn to a close after captivating the planet for 18 days and the reins have been handed over to the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan.

But those late nights and bitterly cold early mornings camped out in front of the TV have certainly been well worth it if you are a South African.

The rainbow nation, always longing for a good news story, have witnessed Team South Africa's most successful Olympics since the country was re-admitted to the Olympic family in Barcelona in 1992.

And how the good news stories piled up in Rio. Team South Africa will return home with ten medals - two golds, six silvers and two bronze.

Caster Semenya has buried the ghosts of 2009 and silenced the cynics, underlining her status as the golden girl of the 800 metres. 

World beater Wayde van Niekerk's future is, similarly, also paved with gold.

Luvo Manyonga gave hope and inspired an entire generation of young people around the world with his exploits in the long jump and Sunette Viljoen finally got that elusive Olympic medal in the women's javelin in her fourth Olympics.

Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh are still up there with the world's swimming elite and Henri Schoeman announced his arrival as a major contender in the gruelling sport of triathlon.

Shaun Keeling and Lawrence Brittain brought some consolation to an otherwise disappointing rowing campaign at this Olympics and the rugby sevens team also brought home a bronze.

Ten medals was Sascoc President Gideon Sam's modest target when the South African Olympic party departed for Rio and he was smack on the button this time, but there will always inevitably be those who would question whether we actually met expectations or not.

But did it really matter as we sipped our Monday morning coffee at the breakfast table. All that we, as South Africans really care about is that the Rainbow Nation woke up in the knowledge that this is the most successful Olympics for South Africa in 24 years.

All that really matters is that Semenya's time of 1:55.28 chopped 0.05 off her own national 800 metre record and she also made history by becoming the first black South African woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

Just listening to her speak told us that she is not the young 18 year-old woman who very nearly watched her athletics career implode in 2009 in the wake of the ongoing gender status debate 

All that is of any consequence to us is that Van Niekerk even managed to upstage and earn rich praise from the world's greatest sprinter Usain Bolt when he won the 400 metres in a new world record time of 43.03 seconds. And who knows, as Bolt exits the Olympic stage, the world may have unearthed his successor.

Nobody in their wildest dreams probably imagined or predicted that the Bloemfontein-based runner, coached by a veteran 74-year-old grandmother with a very strong athletics pedigree, would lower Michael Johnson's 17-year-old world record. World champion, Olympic champion and world record holder all in the same breath has a nice ring to it.

Just one centimetre stood between Manyonga and Olympic gold, but his future role model status to youth around the world and the significance of his accomplishment to those who walked his tough journey with him, cannot be quantified.

Le Clos was understandably disappointed in his performance in his favourite 200 butterfly event, but did signal his arrival as a potential freestyle sprinter. As hard as Le Clos chose to be on himself, a double silver return at any Olympics isn't exactly a failure.

At 28 and certainly in the twilight of his swimming career, Van der Burgh's silver in the 100 breaststroke was a phenomenal accomplishment in the face of stiff competition from the young guns of the sport.

Sure, only one medal in rowing, but when one considers that all five boats entered made it to the finals, then it's a superb accomplishment. Of those, James Thompson and John Smith (Men's Double Sculls) and David Hunt, Jonty Smith, Vincent Breet and Jake Green (Men's Four), ended fourth in their respective finals.

Former Proteas women's cricketer Viljoen's silver in the women's javelin is a prime example of resilience after the disappointment of finishing just outside the medals in London in 2012.

One of the big surprises came in the form of Schoeman, brother of 2012 Olympic swimmer Riaan, who shrugged off the effects of a respiratory infection to claim a historic bronze in the triathlon, with compatriot Richard Murray just missing out in fourth.

And the SA Sevens squad wouldn't want to watch a re-run of their agonising semi-final defeat to Great Britain in too much of a hurry, but still came home with a consolation bronze, easily brushing aside surprise package Japan.

Yes, there were a few shortcomings, including those ugly ill-fitting tracksuits, but for now let's just celebrate with our Olympic heroes and hail their accomplishments and let those whose duty it is to do so, plot the way forward for Japan 2020.

For now, come out in your numbers South Africa and welcome our heroes home.

They left with the hopes of a nation on their shoulders under the payoff line #TeamSARise - And that they certainly did!