KNYSNA | PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS – There will be a handful of athletes and coaches from both Knysna and Plettenberg Bay who will be flying the South African and local flags high when the 2020 Tokyo Olympics get underway on 23 July. 

The two coastal towns will be represented by Olympians in sailing, hockey, swimming, and cycling. Three athletes and two coaches from our neck of the woods will feature as part of Team South Africa.

Says Olympic debutante Aimee Canny (17), the youngest local representative as well as the youngest SA female swimmer taking part in this year's games, "I think going for a team event like the relay is a lot more exciting, yet more nerve-wracking at the same time, as I'm not just swimming for myself but for my team. The energy and excitement from everyone will make it a lot more fun and really get the adrenaline going knowing I have such an amazing team of girls swimming with me. The girls in my relay are my absolute idols and I've looked up to them for so long and now to be racing with them is just so amazing." Canny will be swimming in the women's 4x100m medley relay as the freestyle leg of the race.

"At the moment the nerves are slowly creeping in and I'm trying to use the nerves in any way positive," says Olympic debutant Sam Mvimbi (22), who will be the first hockey player from the Southern Cape ever to take part in an Olympics. "We will never feel fully ready for anything, but we are prepared and continue to prepare for the upcoming challenge." He is also touched by the number of locals who will be in Tokyo with him. "Having familiar faces in anything that you do, does bring a lot of comfort because I feel like I won't be alone. It's always awesome to see young athletes from a relatively small town on probably the biggest sporting stage."

Carl Pasio (35) will be attending his second Olympics (after Rio 2016) and will be the road cycling manager for Team SA.

He will be accompanying his wife Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio as she mounts a medal charge in the women's road cycling event. "She has just come down from an altitude camp in Andorra and she is in really good form," Pasio says. "I believe if everything goes well on the day, we can achieve a medal. Road cycling is a lot about luck on the day as many of the other nations have multiple riders and South Africa has only two."

Like Mvimbi, Pasio is excited about the prospect of multiple locals at the Olympics. "Knysna has such potential to be one of the best breeding grounds for any person who wants to achieve a very high level of sport. We have now proven that Olympians can be made from small-town people and I would encourage any student to keep dreaming and keep pushing towards their dreams."

Last but definitely not least, father-and-son sailing duo Greg (64) and Leo (29) Davis will be going to Tokyo as coach and athlete in the Men's Finns 49er class.

Greg will be attending his second Olympics (after Atlanta 1996) while Leo will be making his Olympic debut.

"In the 25 years [since 1996] so much has changed, especially in the Finn sailing. I am super excited to be going as a coach for Leo," Greg says. "This is a very special time for me as I have coached, lived, and slept sailing with Leo since he was eight years old and always thought of coaching him in the Olympics. He was one of the most talented sailors I have ever coached and sailed against."

Leo is finally realising his Olympic dream after not doing so while he was a rower. "It was always my dream to be an Olympian and I remember thinking that sailing the Finn and having my father as the coach was how I was going to get there," he says. "I can't remember if we ever spoke about it, but I was sure we both had the same idea. When I was set on going to the Games in rowing that idea faded, so I think it is very special to be able to bring back a young dream and for us to go together."

Leo Davis in action in the 2021 Porto Finn Gold Cup. Photo: Robert Deaves 

Last week, KPH reported that there would be six local representatives at the Tokyo Olympics, but unfortunately that is no longer the case. While he was a part of the preliminary SA U23 soccer squad, Plettonian Athenkosi Dlala sadly did not make the final cut.

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