BY SELLO HATANG:
Every athlete dreams of standing on the podium: the medal around their neck, the national anthem playing and the crowd applauding. It is the moment the world sees. Yet nobody begins on the podium.
Before the podium come the early mornings, exhausting training sessions, painful defeats, discipline, sacrifice and countless hours of work when nobody is watching. There are injuries to overcome, doubts to silence and disappointments that test whether the dream is strong enough to survive. The medal may be won in seconds, but the journey towards it often takes years.
The podium is therefore not simply a platform for celebrating victory. It is a monument to preparation.
It reminds us that success is rarely an event. It is the accumulation of small decisions made consistently: waking up when you would rather sleep, practising when others are resting and continuing when there is no applause. Long before an athlete competes against others, they must learn to compete against their own excuses, fears and limitations.
We must remind ourselves that every podium moment is built upon private victories that the world may never see. But no athlete climbs alone. Behind every person standing on a podium is an ecosystem of support: families who sacrificed, coaches who demanded more, teachers who recognised potential, teammates who encouraged them and communities that believed in the dream.
There are also institutions, sponsors and sporting bodies whose investment can determine whether talent is discovered, developed or lost.
That is why our national conversation about sport must extend beyond medal tables. Our question should not only be, “How many medals can South Africa win?” It should also be, “How many young people are we giving a genuine opportunity to compete?”
Somewhere in a township, informal settlement or rural village is a future Olympian whose greatest obstacle is not a lack of talent, determination or dreams. It is a lack of opportunity. They may not have access to proper facilities, equipment, coaching, nutrition or safe transport. Their school may not offer the sport in which they could excel. Their family may simply be unable to afford the cost of participation.
Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. If we want to see more South Africans on international podiums, we must build pathways from the playground to the podium. We must invest in school sport, community facilities, qualified coaches, grassroots competitions and talent identification. We must support athletes not only when they are winning, but during the long and difficult years when they are still becoming.
We must also broaden our understanding of what victory looks like. Not every young person who participates in sport will become an Olympian, and that should never make the investment less valuable.
Sport teaches discipline, teamwork, resilience, humility and respect. It creates healthier communities, opens educational opportunities and gives young people somewhere to belong. Sometimes the greatest medal is not the one placed around the neck, but the life redirected through participation and purpose.
The lesson of the podium also reaches far beyond sport. We are all climbing towards a podium of some kind. For one person, it may be graduating. For another, it may be building a business, raising a family, overcoming illness, finding employment or serving a community. Some podiums are public and celebrated. Others are deeply personal and witnessed by only a few.
Every podium has a story nobody saw. Every victory carries sacrifices nobody applauded.
When your moment comes, celebrate it. You will have earned the right to look back at the distance you have travelled. But remember that the highest purpose of reaching the podium is not merely to stand above others. It is to gain a better view of those still climbing.
As you rise, do not pull up the ladder. Build a wider staircase. Or as the saying goes: lift as you rise. Success becomes significant when it creates opportunity for others. Your podium should become someone else’s starting point. Mentor a young person. Sponsor an athlete. Share your knowledge. Open a door. Speak a name in a room where opportunities are being decided. Help someone believe that their circumstances do not have to determine their destination.
Keep preparing. Keep showing up. Keep believing, even when progress is slow and the podium still seems far away. The work you do in private is preparing you for the moment when opportunity finally meets readiness.
As you climb towards your podium, remember to create a pathway for someone coming behind you.
Join the movement.
#ReHataMmoho #SH
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