Zenani Kraai from Langa made his Olympic debut this year as part of the South African men’s hockey team; making him only the second person from Cape Town’s Langa Hockey Club to achieve this:
Cape Town, South Africa (16 August 2024) — When Zenani Kraai learned that he had made the Olympic team set to compete in Paris for men’s hockey, he knew he was not just representing himself. This was for Langa, and every young sportsperson who had ever been told they could not achieve something because of their circumstances.
“When I heard my name during the announcement, I couldn’t believe it. I was watching TV with my family, and our names were coming up, and I was anxious,” Zenani recalls. “Everyone jumped up and started screaming when my name popped up, it was a special moment, one that I’ll never forget.”
Arriving in Paris, Zenani had made history for Langa as only the second player from Cape Town’s Langa Hockey Club to make it to the Olympics. The first was Lungile Tsolekile who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Zenani was also one of the youngest players in the men’s hockey team.
It was the realisation of years of work for the young player who shares that getting into the team alone was something of an odyssey.
“It wasn’t an easy journey,” Zenani says. “I had to work extremely hard to get into the team, but all of it was worth it in the end.”
Getting to the Olympic Village was “unreal” for him as he got to see and chat with all the famous athletes that most of us typically won’t engage with beyond our TV screens.
But despite the sensation of being in a dreamland, the Games were still very much a battleground. The South African men’s team didn’t have an easy stretch, losing three of their five matches against the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain.
In their favour, they drew against Great Britain and ended the tournament on a big high when they beat France 5-2.
“We lost the small moments, for instance against Great Britain. We were meant to win that game things didn’t go our way and that disappointed us,” Zenani says.
Adding the up-side, Zenani shares: “With that said, there’s a lot to learn. We played against top teams and now we see where we stand against those teams, and we can prepare much better heading into the future.”
Regardless of how the Games turned out, Zenani was welcomed back as a hero, especially to the people of Langa.
Zenani hopes that his story of being born and raised in the township and attending Thembani Primary School and Langa High School will show the young people of Langa that where you come from does not define you.
“It’s a massive thing for the community and the Hockey Club,” Zenani says.
“Being born and attending school here should hopefully show the generation that it’s possible. I just hope they’re inspired, and never stop chasing their dreams.”
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