The first modern Olympic Games was held in 1896 in Greece. However, it was only after the second world war, in the late 1940s, that African countries began to compete in the Olympic Games.
Prior to this, however, two black South African runners, Jan Mashiani and Len Taunyane (Tau) and a white runner, B W Harris, took part in the first US-hosted Olympics, in St Louis in 1904.
The two men even appeared on the Olympic marathon programme.
The story of Mashiani and Taunyane was documented by the South African sport historian Floris van der Merwe.
Mashiani and Taunyane were most likely Tswanas from Limpopo, while Harris was from Aliwal North in the Eastern Cape.
A photo of Mashiani and Taunyane is housed in the museum of the Missouri Historical Society, which switched their names around in the caption, resulting in the two men being given the wrong identities for decades.
1904 Olympics a far cry from Paris 2024
The early games was a combination of tournaments that included swimming obstacle races, tug of war, and hot air balloon contests, to name a few.
Alongside the St Louis Olympics, there was also the St Louis World’s Fair, which held various competitions for the indigenous people from different continents, under the title of “Anthropology Days”.
Van der Merwe writes that while the Olympic marathon was scheduled for August 30, “Athletic Events For Savages” were planned for August 11 and 12.
The spectacle included men deliberately throwing stones at one another, in which all of the ‘savage tribes’ at the World’s Fair competed.
Besides the stone-throwing battle, there was javelin throwing for accuracy, tree climbing, and various track and field sports including a one-mile (1.6km) race.
The 1904 Olympic marathon was a gruelling race run over 40km in 32°C, which was made worse by the dust generated by automobiles that used the same road.
From the start, Taunyane set a killing pace for his first lap, followed by his two countrymen.
Despite his initial lead of 20 yards, Taunyane kept looking back and lost valuable ground in the process. In the final stretch, he was finally passed by a Syrian and an Indian.
Harris dropped out, while Taunyane finished 9th and Mashiani 12th.
Van der Merwe believes that Taunyane and Mashiani had been messenger runners for the Boers under General Piet Cronje during the second Anglo-Boer War, which is why they could move at a fast pace for long periods.
Due to apartheid, the country was banned from competing in the Games from 1964 until 1992.
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