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Vijoen to make Olympic history for SA?

Cape Town - Sunette Viljoen claimed bronze in the javelin for Team South Africa on Wednesday, but she is far from done on the international stage. 

Having won the fourth Commonwealth medal of her career, the 34-year-old then confirmed to journalists that she is targeting the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in an effort to make history. 

"So now it’s back to training etc and I’m definitely targeting Tokyo 2020, which will be my fifth Olympics," she said.

"As far as I know, no South African athlete has done five Olympics."

Viljoen is quite right. 

If she does get to Tokyo, she will create her own little piece of history by becoming the first South African to compete in five straight Olympics. 

Swimmers Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman both have four Olympics each, but nobody has five. 

Viljoen won silver at the Rio Olympics in 2016, finished fourth and London in 2012 and then missed out on qualification for the final at both Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004.

She will be 36 when the 2020 Olympics get underway.

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