Less than a week after winning an Olympic Sevens Bronze medal in Rio, Cheslin Kolbe was back at training with DHL Western Province in preparation for the Currie Cup clash with the Toyota Free State Cheetahs at DHL Newlands on Friday.

Less than a week after winning an Olympic Sevens Bronze medal in Rio, Cheslin Kolbe was back at training with DHL Western Province in preparation for the Currie Cup clash with the Toyota Free State Cheetahs at DHL Newlands on Friday.

After ending the historic first-ever Olympic Sevens event on the podium, Kolbe had enough time to watch his cousin Wayde van Niekerk run in the 400m semifinal at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, before heading back to Cape Town where he linked up with his DHL Western Province teammates this week.

He has been named on the replacements bench for the Currie Cup game on Friday, and says that he cannot wait to get out at DHL Newlands in the blue and white hoops of DHL Western Province.

“It is another challenge for me and my career, this is my journey now and this is my focus. It was with the Olympics but now that I am back at DHL Western Province I will definitely make the most of every opportunity I get. I am still full of energy and no injuries, so I am truly blessed,” said Kolbe.

Looking back on his Olympic experience, Kolbe said that there were moments in Rio that will stay with him for the rest of his life.

“It was a once in a lifetime experience, and I think I made the most of the time that I spent there.

“There were definitely a lot of selfies! Just experiencing walking out at the opening ceremony it felt like a different world for me. To experience it with some great teammates and great athletes.

“I remember Juan de Jongh dancing around and just laughing and smiling, so it was a phenomenal experience which I will definitely put as one of the highlights of my career, it is something I won’t forget,” he said.

One of the highlights for Kolbe was the bond that was formed between all the athletes in the different sporting codes.

“To be part of team South Africa and represent your country at the Rio Olympics was phenomenal, and to communicate with different athletes in different sports codes was a humbling experience and it was great to see all the athletes gel together.

“The most exciting thing for me was seeing how the athletes communicate with one another and enjoy their time together,” he said.

He believes that after the great support the Sevens enjoyed, the sport is poised to grow significantly in Brazil, which is traditionally a football-mad country.

“It was great to see all the spectators come out to support the Sevens, especially in a country that is more focused on soccer.

“I think Sevens and rugby in Brazil will definitely grow, I spoke to a few people to ask them what they think and most of them said that it will definitely grow after this.

Of course, Kolbe was not the only member of his family to win a medal in Rio, and although he was not there to see his cousin’s world record-breaking run in the 400m final, he was as proud as anyone of Van Niekerk’s remarkable achievement.

“Wayde has definitely always been the quickest one out of all of us! For me it is a lot of joy in my heart to see what he has achieved, and I’m sure there is still a lot more that he wants to achieve.

“Seeing how he has grown up since he was small that was always the route that he wanted to go, from the family’s side everybody is truly proud of him,” Kolbe added.