From Floors High to Olympic heights

A KIMBERLITE and former Floors High School learner, Hugh Everson, said that he felt like he had won a gold medal after he was appointed as the chief physiotherapist for the South African athletes who will be competing in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Everson and the medical team will ensure that the 149 South African athletes who are competing in this year’s Olympics are in peak condition before, during and after the Games.

He said he was honoured by the trust the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) had placed in him.

“I am grateful to Sascoc, which has entrusted me to lead the physiotherapy team during the Olympics. My team has been allocated different sporting codes, which include rugby, golf and athletics. The SA team has 10 physiotherapists assigned to them and I will have to co-ordinate the physiotherapy team.

“There is a physiotherapist who was assigned for surfing. The physiotherapy team has formed a camaraderie and will constantly assist each other. We will give a hand where extra hands are needed,” he said.

Everson, who has a long list of successes, said his journey has not been filled with rose petals.

“I matriculated from Floors High School in 1992. Although I passed Grade 12 with good marks, I decided to go and rewrite a few subjects to improve those subjects. I studied physiotherapy at the University of the Western Cape in 1995 until 1998.

“After the completion of my studies, I joined Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, what was then known as Kimberley Hospital, for eight months. I then opened my own private practice.

“In 1999 I got an offer to be the physiotherapist for the Griqua Under-19 and Under-21 A-teams. I was in 2002 until 2004 appointed to the Griqua Cricket team. About two years later I was appointed as the physiotherapist for the professional Griqua team.

“From 2002 until 2006 I was also working as a physiotherapist for the South African Under-19 Schools rugby team. I then moved to Cape Town in 2007 where I joined the Springbok Sevens team. I completed 17 seasons with the Springbok Sevens team and am currently still contracted by them until 2026.

“I used to play rugby when I was at school. After completing school I had to choose whether I wanted to pursue a rugby career or a career in physiotherapy, and I chose the latter. It took a while before I got my breakthrough. I had to put in the hard work and effort to make it to this point.

“The fame and glory are never just handed to you, you need to work constantly to improve yourself. That means that there will be many things one has to sacrifice, like having to wake up early and go to bed late and even missing out on some occasions. It is tough when you are young and still starting out.

“Many youngsters want to be with friends, but there will be some things you would have to temporarily miss out on as you are building yourself,” said Everson.

He added that this is not his first Olympics trip.

“In 2015 I was included in the medical team for the African Games that took place in Brazzaville in Congo. The next year, in 2016, I was part of the medical team that went to the Rio Olympic Games. I again went to the Commonwealth Games in 2018 as part of the medical team.

“I was also part of the medical team during the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. In 2022 I was appointed as the chief physiotherapist for the Commonwealth Games that took place in Birmingham. This year, I again get to be the chief physiotherapist for the South African Olympics team,” he said with a smile.

Everson urged the youth in the Province not to let their environment and background dictate their future.

“I am not from a wealthy background and did not attend a private school. I used to play rugby at the AR Abass Stadium. We did not have upgraded or the best sporting facilities, but we used what we had at the time. The discipline we were taught was engraved in us.

“Our foundation upon which we built our careers was solid and we saw a greater and brighter future for ourselves.

“Through determination and hard work, many physiotherapists from the Northern Cape are climbing the ranks. It is not impossible. Even though we come from a Province that is always displayed as a place under the scourge of poverty, we can break the stereotype through determination and dedication to our craft,” Everson said.