South African wheelchair tennis stars Donald Ramphadi and Lucas Sithole returned home to a heroes' welcome at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday morning. They celebrated their successful outing at the Paris Paralympic Games, where they won a bronze medal in the quad doubles. This achievement marks the first time the continent of Africa has a Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis medal to celebrate for the first time in history.
Ramphadi and Sithole defeated Leandro Pena and Ymanitu Silva, who were aiming to become the first Brazilian players to claim a Paralympic medal in any wheelchair tennis category, with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 following a tense match tiebreak.
With this victory, South Africa has become the 13th nation to win a Paralympic medal in wheelchair tennis since the sport became a full-medal event in 1992. Ramphadi and Sithole are justifiably proud of their trailblazing heroics at Paris 2024.
"For me, this win means a lot because I have been out of the game for almost three years. I have come back and won a Paralympic medal, which is a great achievement. I do like to thank the Inyathi Foundation for helping me with the preparations. I hope these medals will open doors for Donald, myself, and young, upcoming wheelchair tennis players," said Lucas Sithole.
"I am excited about the win and the reception we received coming home. It was emotional, especially after realising the significance of our achievement. We urge people and businesses to support us, especially with funding for overseas travel, which helps improve our rankings," said Donald Ramphadi.
