Six-time world champion and Tokyo gold medalist, Pieter du Preez, and the wheelchair tennis pair of Lucas Sithole and Donald Ramphadi, won bronze medals to take the team’s medal tally to four.

Sithole and Ramphadi won their Quad doubles bronze medal match to become the first ever South Africans or Africans for that matter to win a medal in wheelchair tennis at the Games.

Para-cyclist Du Preez finished third in the men’s H1 individual time trial in 36 minutes 7.05 seconds to win a bronze medal.

The 44-year-old finished a minute and 16 seconds behind the winner, Fabrizio Cronegliani of Italy, while Belgium’s Maxime Hodies finished second. His medal was Team South Africa’s third of the Games.

Sithole and Ramphadi traded breaks with their Brazilian opponents early on in the opening set. Sithole and Ramphadi edged ahead 3-1 after winning the next two games.

The South Africans were looking unstoppable. They won a third consecutive game to extend their lead and inch closer to wrapping up the set at 4-1.

The pair eventually broke their opponents again in the eighth game to go one set-up. The Brazilians won the second set to level the match and force a deciding super tiebreaker.

The South Africans won a tense tiebreaker 10-eight to seal victory and claim the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, swimmer, Christian Sadie has qualified seventh fastest for the final of the men’s S7 50-metres freestyle. He finished fourth in his heat in 29.27 secs.

However, Team South Africa’s other swimmer, Alani Ferreira, missed out on qualification in the women’s S12 100 metres freestyle.

Ferreira finished sixth in her heat in 1min 9.69 secs, which placed her 12th overall with the eight fastest finishers advancing to the final.

--SABC--