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Team SA's first Rio medal - on Sunday?

Cape Town - Team SA will open their medal account at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Day 2 in the pool, according to the latest bookmakers' odds.

Swimming takes the spotlight in the early part of the Games, before athletics comes under starters orders in the latter stages.

South Africa are expected to win the majority of their hoped-for 10 medals in the pool and on the track.

While Day 1 proper (Saturday, August 6) in Rio will have two swimming finals in which SA will hopefully have competitors, it's Sunday evening's (Monday morning SA time) men's 100m breaststroke final in which SA are expected to bank their first medal.

Cameron van der Burgh is the defending champion in the event and will be hoping to repeat his London exploits where he smashed the world record (58.46) in his specialist Olympic event in clinching gold.

This time around however, Van der Burgh takes to the starting blocks as the second-favourite behind Great Britain's Adam Peaty.

Peaty has subsequently smashed Van der Burgh's world record mark, setting a time of 57.92 at last year's British Championships.

Peaty is thus the favourite for the gold (2/5) , with Van der Burgh (7/2) expected to be his biggest rival.

The bronze medal is predicted to be fought out between American Kevin Cordes and Peaty's team-mate, Ross Murdoch.

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