10 Sporting Facts and Milestones

1. The first international cricket match played in South Africa was played in 1889.

2. The first South African to win the world Formula 1 Championship was Jody Schechter for the Ferrari Team in 1979.

3. So far, four cricketers born in South Africa have captained England’s cricket team - Tony Greig, Allan Lamb, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss.

4. Gary player became the fifth golf player in history to win the Grand Slam - the US Masters, US Open, the Open and the US PGA - when he won the US Open in 1965. He is one of golf’s greats.

5. With the 2012 Olympics in full swing now, Reggie Walker was the first South African to win an Olympic gold medal when he won the 100 metres in 10,8 seconds in 1908.

6. Karen Muir was a 12-year-old schoolgirl when she broke the world 110 yards backstroke in 1965.

7. Bobby Lock was the first South African golf player to win a major when he won the Open at Troon in Scotland in 1949.

8. The first Comrade Marathon was run in 1921 from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Only 23 runners participate but it became an annual event. The comrades marathon was initiated to commemorate comrades who had fallen during World War I.

9. Peter ‘Terror’ Mathebule was South Africa’s first black boxer to become world champion (flyweight division) in 1980.

10. Baby Jake Matlala became the first South African boxer to win four world titles.