They say leaders are born, not made, but the Springbok Sevens have a leader who didn’t hesitate when the call came for him to lead from the front.
Kyle Brown’s first assignment as a captain was at school, and he didn’t even wait for the debate to start.
“We were standing around, and the guys asked who would be captain. I immediately said I would be captain, and that was that.”
That was that, indeed, and Brown has barely looked back since. He has grown in stature, to the point where there was national concern when he got injured this year, putting his chances to go to the Olympic Games in jeopardy.
“It was difficult, because no one is guaranteed a spot. I knew I had to work very hard to win my spot back in the team, but that is the same for every player. No one is guaranteed to play, you have to earn it,” he maintained.
Brown has earned the respect of his team, and their international contemporaries over the last few years, and when he was announced in the final squad to go to Rio, there was a collective sigh of relief. He, more than most, knows how coach Neil Powell agonised over the squad.
“I know he had several sleepless nights, and he had his wife almost in tears for the last few days. If you could stand there and say it was easy to drop anyone from the final 19, I would say that you were lying,” he admitted.
“We started off as a squad of about 50, so it is actually about 35 guys that have been cut along the way. All of them had the talent, so it was very tough to get to this point, where we have 14 men to fly the flag.”
Along with the squad of 12, there are two travelling reserves who will also go to Rio. For Brown and his team, the Olympics is a natural progression after their Commonwealth Games success two years ago.
“You can never re-enact the Commonwealth Games experience anyway, so we won’t even try. All we try and do is to enjoy the experience. That is what we try to do wherever we go.
“But from what we’ve heard, the Olympics is on another scale altogether. We got a small taste of it during the Commonwealth Games, so we can’t wait to be there.”
For the Springbok Sevens, being part of Team South Africa is something that they are extremely proud of, and Brown says that interaction with the various sporting codes is one that they thrive on.
“The Commonwealth experience was enlightening. It was just a cool experience, because you never get the chance to be part of a big team like this. You realise, when you talk to athletes, and gymnasts, and swimmers that we are all after the same thing, ultimately. We all want to bring honour to the flag.” - Sunday Independent