Jovan van Vuuren loved competing at the Stade de France, even in the shadow of death threats and a well-timed attack.
Paris, France (05 August 2024) – Support rallied around South African long jumper Jovan van Vuuren amidst becoming the target of bullying, harassment and death threats in the lead-up to his long jump event on Sunday. The moment which shook the athlete left us feeling pained at the unfair and cruel actions taken by his attacker.
SASCOC released a statement regarding the incident, sharing that they would be supporting him through the process.
“Our Team SA long jumper Jovan van Vuuren competed in the men’s qualification round at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday against the backdrop of despicable threats dished out to himself and members of his family that were sent via WhatsApp.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) is aware of the threats and has offered unconditional support to the athlete. He is also receiving professional counselling from Team SA’s psychologists. In addition the matter has been handed to the relevant authorities, including the police, for investigation.
Van Vuuren competed in the long jump qualifying and produced a best leap of 7.70m, which placed him 23rd overall.”
Jovan van Vuuren: A Story of Triumph and Struggle
Jovan van Vuuren said, “This is not an excuse.” I have to tell you that this is not an obvious good news story. But after the long jump competition, where two South Africans competed and neither of them progressed to the final, we chatted with them. Cheswill Johnson also said he had no excuses and only managed a jump of 4.49 metres. He doesn’t know what happened. He was landing on the wrong foot and overstepping. For a man who coached himself for most of his career in this very technical sport, even getting to the Olympics was an achievement. He was hoping to get to the final and secure a top-10 placement, but alas, it was not to be.
Jovan’s Story
Then came Jovan, whose best on the day was 7.70m. But that wasn’t really the story he wanted told. Here it is in his own words:
“I’m not used to stuff like that. It shook me a bit. A lot of personal attacks and death threats. Especially with stuff from my past in terms of my friend committing suicide. Yeah, and doping allegations. I mean, I’m an athlete. You work hard to be here, so yeah, it’s a personal attack. It shook me a bit. I couldn’t sleep last night and I don’t want to make it an excuse for poor performance… I mean, 12th place with a 7.87-metre jump. If you can’t handle pressure… It’s part of the game. My body felt well, my run felt good, it’s just… I wasn’t in the right spot mentally.
The psychologist at SASCOC jumped in. I went to recover mentally from this. Last night, I was still dealing with it. I started having difficulty focusing, especially… Yeah. I don’t know how the person got my number. He tried to phone me too. I gave my phone to one of my teammates to read and understand what was going on. I know the name of the person, but I don’t want to make an announcement. I’m going to give it to the team at SASCOC. Hopefully, they’ll take care of it. It caused a lot of personal damage to me mentally. I’m going to take legal action, but it’s not an excuse for my poor performance. It’s just… mentally, it’s hard, especially with what’s been said about my best friend. Attacking my loved ones with false allegations is tough. Sorry, guys…
I don’t intend to harm anyone. If I upset anybody out there, I’m sorry.”
The Aftermath
There was a lot more, but those are the important bits. He had a really, really rough night, and if the idea was to ruin his experience, they only half won. He didn’t progress, but he enjoyed the experience.
“The crowd was wild, around 80,000 people. I was a bit sceptical, especially after the France game last year at the World Cup, but they were very supportive of me as a South African. It’s an experience every athlete should have. After I finished my jumps, I took a moment to soak it all in. It’s a dream come true. I’ll take two weeks off to enjoy the last vibes of the village. It’s the Olympics. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thanks. Good luck.”
And that’s the good news part. He had his moment and the drama will continue, but on the day, in his own way, he turned up.
For more on managing mental health please do reach out to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).
Zareena 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.
You can follow her series via Good Things Guy here.
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Sources: SASCOC
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