Jo-Ane van Dyk’s journey to Olympic silver showcases her grounded nature, competitive spirit, and unwavering resilience.
Paris, France (14 August 2024) – I watched Jo-Ane van Dyk’s winning throw and the three that followed. If you ask her, she’ll tell you that coming into the competition, she didn’t expect a throw in the 63-meter range to earn a medal. Yet, against her own expectations, it did—and now she’s an Olympic silver medallist.
In a fortunate moment for all of us, her silver-winning throw broke through the chaos of the broadcast. Despite the men’s high jump and various track events happening simultaneously, they showed that throw live. Without that, how else would we know that she launched it at a 33.67-degree angle at 90.80 km/h?
Jo-Ane was clearly in top form, throwing a personal best of 64.22m in Round 1 of the Olympics, which qualified her for the final. Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi eventually won gold, and Nikola Ogrodnikova of the Czech Republic rounded out the podium with bronze.
Grounded and Gracious: A Medallist with Integrity
Over the days at the Games, I realised that there are people I want to win medals—specifically, all the South Africans, and generally, all the Africans or those with great stories to tell. But beyond that, there are athletes I want to win because they seem capable of handling the victory and the spotlight. Jo-Ane is one of those people. I’ve only met her once, and that happened to be when she had a medal around her neck. She was realistic and understandably happy.
While she was on the field, having collected her South African flag to parade around the stadium, I watched her shake the officials’ hands. Maybe that’s normal, and perhaps I wasn’t watching as others did the same, but at that moment, she was the only competitor doing so.
In another incident, while she was in the zone, a man from the international media approached her with a screenshot, seemingly hoping for a story. He asked how she felt about almost hitting an official with her second throw. Seeing the picture, she remarked that it was a metre away from them and within the correct zone. When pressed again, she said she hadn’t seen it, and if she had, it probably would have thrown her off. But again, she emphasised that it was far enough from the official and within the zone. The man didn’t get the story he was looking for, as she stood her ground and even suggested he look up the time she actually did hit someone.
That story, briefly, involves her hitting a man in the shoulder. He was taken to hospital, and they kept in contact because she genuinely felt bad and wanted to ensure he was okay. He recovered, and later, when he and his wife had a child, they asked if they could name the baby after her. And now, somewhere, there’s a young Jo-Ane running around.
Sacrifice and Success: The Road to Olympic Glory
In any other Olympics, her throw might not have been enough to medal. But as she’ll tell you, you play the conditions as they are. Australia’s Mackenzie Little, who has the second-best throw of the year at 66.27m, failed to make the top eight after three throws and was eliminated.
All of this, to me, speaks volumes about how grounded Jo-Ane is. She’s realistic about her performance. It doesn’t mean she isn’t one of the best—she wouldn’t have made it to the Games if she weren’t—but it also means she understands both the nature of competition and her fellow competitors. So far, she’s put her life on hold, with her javelin dream funded by her parents, while watching those she studied with advance their careers. This was a sacrifice, but hopefully, this moment—advancing her personal best and performing on the biggest stage to win a medal—will bring her immense joy and a broader view of what’s possible. If nothing else, it gives her a chance to get her name and talent out there. Hopefully, she’ll start rolling in sponsorships, because the moment is big, and I reckon she’ll thrive in it.
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South African Figure Skater Gian-Quen Isaacs Seeks Support for Her Next StepZareena Gaibee will be on the ground in Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics events, sharing her take on the prestigious sporting event, giving exclusive insights into life at the games, and hopefully meeting many of the South Africans in Paris who are competing and supporting. She will be reporting her findings for Good Things Guy, giving readers a glimpse of what flying the flag in Paris is all about.
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