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Forgotten Olympic hero Josia Thugwane steps into the limelight again
The first black South African to win a gold medal has been largely forgotten, but that’s about to change
When Josia Thugwane came to the end of briefly narrating his inspirational Olympic story, there was barely a dry eye in the room.
His remarkable feat of overcoming the odds to win a marathon gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 24 years ago remains one of the proudest sporting moments for SA.
He stunned the sporting world on that unforgettable day of August 4 1996 to become the first black South African to win the gold medal after he outran South Korea’s Lee Bong-Ju and Kenya’s Eric Wainaina in the final stretch...
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