By GARY LEMKE in Tokyo
He might be one of the seniors in the squad but Anaso Jobodwana takes nothing for granted. So, when he was given the news that he’d been selected as the flag bearer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics closing ceremony he took a few moments to collect his thoughts. “I haven’t really fully processed what it means to me and what an honour it is,” the 29-year-old sprinter said.
“It’s always an honour just to wear the colours of South Africa, so being selected to carry the flag at the closing ceremony of an Olympic Games is an honour that I never thought would happen to me. And it’s extra special being Tokyo, especially given that these Games had been delayed for a year and had been in doubt as to whether they would actually go ahead.
“So, I feel that the closing ceremony is a significant moment in that it will celebrate how the human spirit can triumph over adversity.”
In his debut Olympics at London 2012, Jobodwana reached the final, but at Rio 2016 he was eliminated in the first round. Here at Tokyo 2020, he split the two performances by reaching the semi-finals. That makes him a three-time Olympian. Is there enough left in the tank for him to aim at joining that rare breed of four-time Olympian at Paris 2024?
“If you had asked me before Tokyo I would have said that I was leaning towards a ‘no’, but when I put into perspective how many years it is away, I’ve probably had a change of thought. I mean, we’re almost at the end of 2021 already and then it’s the world championships and Commonwealth Games next year and then we’re into 2023.
“I had actually wanted to cap off my career at 32 years old so Paris 2024 is right at that mark. Obviously nothing is set in stone in terms of my performances because there are younger kids that are coming up and I’m now a bit of the older ones on the squad.
“But the American sprinter Allyson Felix showed that you can do it in your 30s. She’s 35 but won her 11th Olympic medal here in Tokyo. Other sprinters like Justin Gatlin and Kim Collins have also proved that you can compete well into your 30s, so looking at those kind of performances over the years I feel that for myself I’m going to give myself that chance to go to Paris 2024 as well.”
These days Jobodwana is settling into his role as a senior. A knock on his apartment door here in the Olympic village was answered by the 20-year-old Shaun Maswanganyi. “Yes,” Jobodwana laughed, “I noticed it for the first time this year at Nationals. There it dawned on me that I am the senior, I’m looking at the kids coming up and talking to them and thinking, ‘oh my goodness, I’ve been in this game for such a long time!’”
Jobodwana is not just a senior figure in the South African sprinting family, but he is a father in real life as well. When I visit him he’s talking to his three-year-old son on the phone. “He’s back at my other home in the US and I haven’t seen him since March. He’s growing up so quickly and the fact that I’m having video calls every day makes it easier for him and for me. But I wish I could be there for him. Now he calls me and says, ‘I want to speak to daddy’. Yesterday he made me tear up, he said, ‘Daddy, I miss you so much.’”
The South African’s other home is in Phakamisa in the Eastern Cape, where Jobodwana grew up. Although he went to school at Selborne College in East London, his roots are about 50km away in that township. Recently the local community honoured him by unveiling a large art mural of their hero.
“It caught me off guard,” Jobodwana says of the mural. “One of the guys that I grew up with – he’s older than me – decided to do a mural of me to show their appreciation for me. They wanted to show what I’ve done for the township. It was pretty cool. I always go back to Phakamisa, at least once a year I’m there. I try to go there as much as possible, Pakamisa, I try to give back as much as possible, I believe there’s so much talent there.”
The South African also gave some insight into the disappointment suffered by his fellow sprinters who fell out in the first round of the men’s 4x100m relay when a botched exchange between Clarence Munyai and Makwanganyi cut short their medal ambitions.
“In the 4x100m everyone realises things like that happen. It was unfortunate that it happened on the biggest stage of all, at the Olympics. They had every reason to believe they could be medallists here. I don’t think things really sank in until they watched the final on Friday night. I could sense that it hurt differently … they knew that they should have been there in the final and on the podium … sometimes things are best left unsaid.”
In those situations social media can be a brutal place to be, but Jobodwana has a message for the keyboard warriors. “I go on to social media and (some of the things) I post is to be thankful to the people who support me. The light will always shine through the dark … the positive messages will cut through the darkness. To the keyboard warriors: I don’t pay attention to you. What I don’t like though are those people who act like they’re in your corner and when you fail they turn on you. I don’t care, but your actions must be consistent. If you’re a hater, you must stay hating. Don’t climb on the bandwagon when it’s good.”
And Jobodwana laughs again. He knows that one Olympics doesn’t define a career and he’s already had three Olympics’. Now he’s a flag bearer for his country as well. There is plenty to be proud of for the ride he’s had. And it’s not over just yet.