Jo-Ane van Dyk claimed South Africa’s sixth medal at the Paris Olympics, earning a silver in the women’s javelin final on Saturday.
Van Dyk’s third throw out of six reached 63.93m, just shy of her personal best of 64.22m, which she achieved during the qualifying rounds earlier in the week.
She finished behind Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi, who secured the gold with a 65.80m throw in the first round, while Czechia’s Nikola Ogrodnikova took the bronze. At 26, Van Dyk became the second South African to earn a javelin medal, matching Sunette Viljoen’s silver from the 2016 Rio Olympics.
President Cyril Ramaphosa quickly praised Van Dyk, stating, “Well done and thank you for making Team South Africa and all of us proud.”
This accomplishment brings Team SA’s total medal count to six (one gold, three silver, and two bronze) with just one day left in the Olympics.