Where Team SA's CWG medal hopes rest

South Africa will be on the hunt for a healthy medal tally at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with SABC Sport journalist Charles Baloyi highlighting the medal prospects.

Team SA finished in sixth place at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018 as they collected 37 medals, including 18 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze. 

SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) boss Barry Hendricks has set them a high standard at the Birmingham Games, wanting them to finish in the top two.

The team has 251 athletes with more female representation for the first time in its history after 2018 saw only 194 athletes go and compete.

Chad Le Clos - Swimming

Le Clos is the golden boy of South African swimming and one medal away from becoming the most decorated Commonwealth Games athlete of all time.

The 30-year-old swimmer collected 17 medals in four Games in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2018. He won seven gold medals, three silver, and seven bronze medals. He is the man for the big occasions and carries the hopes of Team SA on his shoulders.

Tatjana Schoenmaker - Swimming

Fresh from breaking the world record in the 200m breaststroke at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in 2020, Schoenmaker is headed to Birmingham as the top seed and favourite to win the 100m and 200m breaststroke events.

She picked up two gold medals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke at the previous Commonwealth Games in Australia, and all eyes will be on the 24-year-old superstar, though she insists she can handle the pressure and represent her country with aplomb.

Lara van Niekerk - Swimming

The teenager represented South Africa at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with pride. She bagged a bronze medal in the 50-meter breaststroke.

The 19-year-old has a bright future and is one of the swimmers to look out for at the Birmingham Games. She can set the scene alight in her debut Commonwealth Games.

Akani Simbine - Athletics.

The fastest man in South Africa with a personal best of 9.84 seconds in the 100m events, Simbine has a point to prove. He is the defending champion in the 100m and will do everything to hold on to his title.

After losing his African 100m title to Ferdinand Omanyala (9.77) at the African Athletics Senior Championships in Mauritius in June, the 28-year-old finished fifth in the 100m final (10.01) at the World Athletics Championships in the USA.

Ending the season without a medal is not an option for the South African champion, who will be going to Birmingham to redeem himself.

4x100m relay - Athletics

Akani Simbine, Henricho Bruintjies, Gift Leotlela, and Clarence Munyai will lead the charge in the men's relay, thanks to a sprint revolution in SA and an abundance of talent.

The country is improving with each competition in the relay and the power of team sport is starting to show. The men's 4x100m relay is an event in which a podium finish for SA is all but guaranteed.

Prudence Sekgodiso - Athletics

Sekgodiso is like a breath of fresh air in the women™s 800m event and, after bagging the bronze at the African Senior Athletics Championship, she is taking the baton from Caster Semenya and running with it like a pro.

She has the potential to make history in her debut Commonwealth Games in her first year as a senior. She finished second in the Diamond League in Rome in June and is undoubtedly one of South Africa's medal prospects in Birmingham. 

Spar Proteas - Netball

The Proteas have nothing to lose and everything to gain in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as they look to use the event as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup in Cape Town next year.

They enjoyed ideal preparation by competing in a two-match test series against Wales, whom they beat 57-47 in their final warm-up game in the UK.

After finishing fifth in Australia in 2018, the Proteas are determined to secure a medal at this year's Games, with captain Bongiwe Msomi and her team going into the Games high on confidence.

Rugby Sevens

The tournament will be played over three days, and the Springboks Men's Sevens have the potential to finish their campaign on the podium before they host the Sevens World Cup in Cape Town in September.

Team SA are in Pool B with Scotland, Tonga, and Malaysia, and are among the favourites to progress to the knockout stages and fight for a medal against 2018 champions New Zealand, silver medalists Fiji and host nation England.

Martin Erasmus - Wrestling

Erasmus won gold in the men™s 97kg event at the previous Games in Gold Coast, Australia and he will rely on his experience to make the podium again.

He is a freestyle wrestler and has a never-say-die attitude. He has been consistent in his events, having won silver medals at the African Championships in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2020.

Birmingham is another platform for him to showcase his talent and bag another gold medal.

Thomas and Donne Breytenback - Judo

The judo twins will make their debut at the Commonwealth Games at the age of just 20, but they have already achieved a lot on the African continent.

It would not come as a surprise if they claim medals at the Games, having earlier conquered the continent by winning their respective titles in the qualifiers.

The twins are headed to Birmingham brimming with confidence and determined to make history. They started playing the sport at the age of five years and the moment they have been waiting for has finally arrived.

By Charles Baloyi