It took only three days of the ParaÂlympics to transform the disgruntled faces of South African sports fans into broad grins.
Natalie du Toit and Oscar Pistorius have kept the pens of sports journalists around the world busy in recent weeks and they were able to do the business too on the opening days of the Paralympics in Beijing.
Du Toit, the first athlete to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, won gold in her first two races, the S9 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle events, while Pistorius succeeded in the first, toughest leg of a possible sprint triple with a thrilling victory in the T44 100m.
The amputee swimmer and runner went into the Paralympics with tremendous pressure on them, but even those with lower expectations have pulled through for South Africa.
The visually impaired Charl Bouwer eased his way to a world record and a gold medal in the S13 400m freestyle. At just 18 years old, he is tipped as a possible protégé of Du Toit and Pistorius in terms of crossing over into able-bodied competition.
Nicholas Newman claimed SA’s first bronze medal when he threw the javelin in the F35/36 class, while another bright, shiny gold medal appeared on a green and gold tracksuit when Philippa Johnson completed her individual championship dressage test grade IV with almost faultless precision.
The secret to South Africa’s Paralympic success in contrast to their Olympics failure would seem to be that their athletes and administrators share the same goals. Since the days of Andy Scott, Alison Burchell, Peter Goldhawk and now Pieter Badenhorst, Napcosa and its successor, Disability Sport SA,
have put solid structures in place to support the athletes and the organisation runs with the sort of efficiency one would expect from professionals in a big business.
The athletes, having had to overcome so much just to get there, are undaunted by obstacles and do not have pampered egos.
The result is a squad that is most attractive to sponsors and 10 major corporates are behind the men and women in Beijing, with support from the National Lottery and the department of sport and recreation.
With the correct support structures, financial backing and a never-say-die attitude, our Paralympic athletes have performed with aplomb and, as the medals roll in, more resources naturally head their way.