It may seem as if Bradley Nkoana has had an easy ride so far in life, having become an Olympic silver medallist at the age of 19.
But even in his short athletics journey, he has had to traipse through a series of challenges that many other sports people may not have experienced in an entire career.
When Covid-19 shut down the world in 2020, Nkoana also sustained first a hamstring injury and then a heel problem that kept him off the track for nearly two years.
He made a superb comeback in 2022, winning a silver medal in the 100m at the senior national championships as a 17-year-old.
But then the most serious of the knee ligament injuries, the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), rocked his world in 2023, and it seemed as if he might miss out on the Paris Olympics.
That is part of the reason why he attended a recent expo on injury management and prevention hosted by ASSIC (African Sports Science Institute Clinic) and Sports Trust Sports at Mount View High School in Hanover Park, Cape Town.
Former Springbok rugby team doctor Yusuf Hassan – who was part of the 2007 World Cup-winning management – is the brain behind ASSIC, who have developed a number of free apps to assist sports people and the general public in managing their fitness, injury and rehabilitation programmes.
“I travelled all the way from Pretoria to here, so that just shows that it’s quite an honour to be here. The ASSIC group are doing a great job,” Nkoana told Independent Newspapers.
“My experience in athletics, being young and the person that I am, has been a great journey. It’s just the beginning...
“Champions recognise champions, and just like Mr Ashwin (Willemse, former Springbok rugby wing) was speaking about when you have those moments where you felt like giving up, and then just deciding you are not going to give up...
“I’ve had those moments. I had those mental blocks, challenges, about whether I want to do this, whether I want to pursue this.
“I didn’t see any light or benefit to it – I was doing it because I love it. But something drove me to become the person that I am, and go to the Olympics.
“If I look back, last year, I was injured. I tore my ACL, and I thought to myself that I wasn’t going to make the Olympic team.
“But here I am, with an Olympic silver medal, and I’ve made history! I’ve become a part of history: the first ever relay team in South Africa to ever medal, and we got the silver.”
Nkoana’s difficulties in life didn’t start during his athletics career, though. His mother passed away when he was just 11, and his father Freddy and grandparents have played their part in raising him since.
The effort and sacrifices were all worth it when they welcomed him home at the OR Tambo International Airport after the Paris Olympics, and Nkoana followed up that 4x100m relay silver with a 100m bronze medal at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru a few weeks later.
That title was won by his relay teammate, 18-year-old Bayanda Walaza, which indicates a bright future in South African sprinting as they attempt to follow in the footsteps of their relay leader, Akani Simbine, and Olympic 100m and 200m semi-finalist Shaun Maswanganyi, who ran the second leg in the relay final.
That quartet will surely aim to break their African record of 37.57 set in the Olympic final at next year’s world championships in Tokyo.
Nkoana, a student at North-West University in Potchefstroom, is currently enjoying some time off since the athletics season ended in August, and is basking in the glory of his breakthrough year.
But he is also eyeing next year’s senior world championships in September.
He will hope to break through the 10-second barrier, as the 100m qualifying time is 10.00, in addition to being part of the SA relay team.
Nkoana’s 100m personal best is standing at 10.03, which he set in Switzerland in July, while he may also look to improve his 200m time of 20.88.
“The Olympics is the pinnacle of sports – everybody wants to go the Olympics and get a medal. I’m very fortunate that it was my first Olympics and I came back with a medal,” the teenager said.
“But I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve as a youngster’.
“This has changed my perspective fully. I want to get more medals – more world championship finals. Go out there and be competitive, and stay there for quite a long time.
“I’m still 19... My career is big. I still have like 10, 15 years in me! So, I’m quite happy to be exposed to a big stage like that, and to finally switch my mind and tell myself that I want to be there all the time.
“I want to get there and show that I am also a competitor – I’m not a number, I’m a competitor.
“Normally our season starts around March, April, and next year is another long season as the world championships are around September.
“We are about a year away from the world championships, so it’s quite a long season.
“I have to sit down with my coach (Paul Gorries) and draw up a plan for next year. But I’m enjoying myself.
“It’s (the relay silver medal) a sign to show that there is still more in us, still a lot in us. We are driving to become better and better, and to show how competitive we are in the world.
“As a continent and a country, we are so rich in talent. We need just need to get the resources, coaching and managing the athletes, and taking care of our bodies – which is the most important thing.
“Take care of your mind, and that will give you the results that you want.”