By Lebogang Seale
As Khotso Mokoena leapt to Olympic silver in Beijing, his father jumped from his seat in jubilation.
His mother clasped her hands and put them across her mouth, grateful that her prayers had been answered.
Mokoena won South Africa's first medal at the Beijing Olympics on Monday when he recorded a distance of 8,24m in the long jump.
Although Mokoena was beaten by Panama's Irvin Saladino (8,34m) to the gold medal, his accomplishment was enough to send his Ratanda neighbourhood, near Heidelberg, into a frenzy.
"I jumped off my seat and punched the air in celebration," said 44-year-old Phakiso, who stopped by at a friend's house from work to watch his son compete on TV.
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"As I watched him go through his paces, I became nervous. But I had this gut feeling that he was going to make it.
"Oddly, we kept on cheering as if he was hearing us. Obviously a gold medal would have been excellent, but he has done us proud," said Phakiso, who sent his son an SMS before he went to work on Monday, wishing him luck.
"He is a young man with a big heart and who is passionate about his game, so I never doubted his capabilities. I wish I can fly to Beijing, throw myself in his arms and hug him," he said.
Even more excited was Khotso's mother Sonto, who watched him from home.
"I was alone, but I just found myself cheering and jumping up and down like a possessed person. It was such a great feeling," she said.
Clad in an Athletics South Africa tracksuit she was given by her son, Sonto ,41, on Monday night eagerly waited for the 7pm TV news bulletin.
"From the start, I could see by the way he jumped that he was going to win. Although he came second, I was not surprised because even before he left he kept mentioning Saladino as his main threat," Sonto said.
"For a moment, I thought he was going to beat him, but he made a few mistakes on the last jump. But I am happy with his achievement as it has not been easy for the country," she said.
During the interview, both parents were interrupted by a flood of calls congratulating them on their son's achievement. But it was a call from Khotso that sparked fresh merriment.
"He just asked me if I was happy with his performance and I said 'yes'. I even asked him if he did shake Saladino's hand and he said 'yes'," Phakiso added.
His trainer of seven years before he enrolled at the University of Potchefstroom, Elna de Beer, was elated with his success.
"I am very happy for him and South Africa because it's the first medal for South Africa. He has a lot of potential and with more perseverance he can break the world record," she said.
Name: Godfrey Khotso Mokoena
Born: March 6, 1985 at Ratanda, Heidelberg
Specialises in the long jump and triple jump.
Personal bests
Long jump - 8.39m (2006)
Triple jump - 17.25m (2005)
High jump - 2.10m (2001)
Mokoena started his international career as a high jumper at the 2001 World Youth Championships where he came seventh.
Achievements since then include the world junior triple jump title in Italy in 2004.
Between 2002 and 2006, Mokoena rewrote the South African record book with new youth, junior and senior records in both the long jump and triple jump events. In 2003 he won medals at the All-Africa Games and the Afro-Asian Games, but at the Athens Olympics in 2004, he bombed out after missing a warm-up call.
Mokoena, who has a tattoo on his right arm, is 1.90m.
- This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on August 19, 2008
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