Hurdlers Llewellyn Herbert, Alwyn Myburgh and Ockert Cilliers raced like stallions on the mercurial Olympic Stadium track on Monday night. Now they are hoping to become the first trio from the same nation to make a final in the 400m hurdles. Frantz Kruger struggled with his timing in the discus final and ended sixth.

World high-jump champion Hestrie Cloete holds the focus as South Africa’s athletic gold medallist hopeful when she takes to the Olympic Stadium on Thursday, but there are still loads of colour among South Africa’s Olympians as the finishing line comes into sight for these vibrant and historical Games in Athens.

South African tourists to Athens for the Olympic Games have fascinating stories to tell, but none like Old Eds hockey player Samantha Krog and her travelling partner, Karen Kennedy, who found themselves booked into a brothel. They had a surprise waiting for them when they arrived at the hotel they had booked on the internet.

Godfrey Mokoena, arguably the most exciting talent in South African athletics, has become the victim of a mix-up in the South African Olympic camp that resulted in him arriving two hours late for his triple-jump qualifying round at the Olympic Stadium in Athens last Friday.

Jacques Freitag did everything he possibly could to compete at the Athens Olympics and at least in that he succeeded. But though he went out to take on his strongest rivals in the high jump at the Olympic Stadium cauldron with a painful ankle, he will always consider Friday night a failure.

The twinkling shine of the Olympics came in a different form for Llewellyn Herbert who got engaged to Pretoria model Letitia Roets at the home of Greek ambassador Jannie Momberg at a private party in Athens on Thursday night. ”Now I’m relaxed, smiling and happy,” said Herbert after placing a diamond ring on the finger of Roets.

Roland Schoeman, riding the medal wave at the Athens Olympics, continued to make a strong impact on swimming competition at the Aquatic Centre on Thursday night. Though the men’s hockey and women’s beach-volleyball teams lost, South Africa’s Olympic sailor, Gareth Blanckenberg, moved up in his event.

Roland Schoeman threw down the gauntlet to favourites Pieter van Hoogenband and Ian Thorpe in the 100m freestyle semifinal in Athens on Tuesday. Archer Kirsten Lewis continued to shine, beach volleyball players Leigh Ann Naidoo and Julia Willand went down to highly ranked Cuba and the men’s hockey suffered a frustrating defeat.

South Africa’s golden boys led Olympic news in Greece and the United States after Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and Ryk Neethling broke the world 4x100m relay record for gold in the biggest upset of the Athens Olympics so far. Ta Nea (The News) headlined its story: ”4x100m lashed by SA storm”.

South Africa’s top woman cyclist Anriette Schoeman feels like a total loner in the build-up to the women’s 118km road race in the city centre of Athens on Sunday. Don’t get her wrong. Schoeman has made many friends and feels quite at home in the South African Olympic team.