Team SA Relay teams close Chengdu games with a podium finish

The men’s 4x100m which came to the final with expectations of snatching the gold medal as they were the fastest qualifiers, settled for a bronze medal finishing behind China and Thailand.

Leading this team was South Africa’s second fastest sprinter Shawn Maswanganyi and Tsebo Matsoso, Thembo Monareng, and Eckhart Potgieter.

Gold was their primary target but Monareng and Maswanganyi accept the bronze medal.

"Well, first of all, I'd like to thank USSA for this opportunity. For selecting most of us, for selecting all of us. It shows that they did believe in us. We tried our best to get the gold but we can settle for the bronze," Monareng said.

The race was a lot different than it was yesterday, we changed the orders around because it was trial and error. I'm happy with the results, I think my brothers are all happy about the result so we'll just be grateful to our coaches, to the Lord and everyone who believed in us."

In the women’s 4x100m relay, the team of Banele  Shabangu, Antoinette van der Merwe, Kanku Mbisha, and Tamzin Thomas also returned with the bronze medal, finishing behind China and Poland respectively. And it was also a special one for Thomas after she couldn’t reach the final in the individual 100m due to a false start.

"We worked so hard, although the rain is a bit sketchy but we made it. We told ourselves, it's the last race of the season, we going all out and we did and we all going back home with medals," Thomas said.

"Well, I think we just set a standard. We didn't have much training, we came here, we lost a teammate, Bandile, and someone had to come in as a reserve which is Antoinette and I think we just tried to execute it like we did at USSA qualifying for this championship. So, I think the foundation is set and we are capable as girls to be in a final and medal, I think we broke that barrier."