South Africa’s U20 water polo team may have finished 19th in the world… but they finished first in our hearts, and apparently, on Gayton McKenzie’s emoji keyboard.

Global (22 June 2025) – It was a proud moment. A sporting victory. A big bold celebration for our team in green and gold.

Also… it was a match for 19th place.

But don’t tell that to South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, who fired off a post so full of national pride, emojis, and unshakeable enthusiasm, it practically did a lap around the pool.

“We are the best sporting nation in the world ” – Gayton McKenzie via Facebook 

South Africa’s U20 water polo team had just beaten New Zealand 16–15 in a dramatic penalty shootout at the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia and while it might have been the playoff for 19th place, it felt like Olympic gold online.

Cue the reactions.

“Well done to the lads for their win. But can we calm down a bit about a 19th place finish?”

“South Africa just won the ‘Ain’t nobody got time for small print’ world champs!!”

“So we ended 19th, is that what I’m seeing?? ”

“It looks like South Africa is using witchcraft on sports the way it is winning”

“What is this now? Hugging Championships? ”

“Operation ‘Win Everything’ is here.”

“A new Era is upon us, SA is doing extremely well in many frontiers ”

So what actually happened?

Let’s break it down.

South Africa’s U20 water polo squad had a tough run at the tournament, grouped with Brazil and Germany, both seasoned sides. They went on to face Colombia, Kazakhstan and Canada in the classification rounds, and while results didn’t go our way in those matches, the team stayed in the fight.

Then came New Zealand.

With both teams vying to avoid the dreaded bottom spot, it all came down to this final showdown. Four intense quarters ended in a 15–15 tie, which pushed the game into a penalty shootout. South Africa held their nerve and edged it 3–2, securing 19th place and a whole lot of unexpected internet fame.

“After two interesting matches decided in penalty shootouts, Colombia won 17th place, while South Africa avoided the bottom of the standings with a victory over New Zealand.”

Yes, it was for 19th place. No, it wasn’t a medal match. But context matters and this young team’s win is more than just a number on a chart. You see, South Africa is climbing. In recent years, our senior water polo teams have qualified for the Olympics, held strong at World Championships and helped put the sport on the map locally. Youth participation is growing, and our juniors are starting to show promise, just by qualifying for global tournaments like this one.

So maybe we’re not world champs just yet… but don’t tell that to Gayton McKenzie. Or to the players who hugged it out in that pool with proud smiles on their faces. Or to every South African who needed a win (even a 19th-place one) to make their day a little brighter.

Because if there’s one thing we’ll never run short of… it’s spirit (and jokes).

Sources: Gayton McKenzie Social Media | World Aquatics U20 Championships | Total Waterpolo 

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However, while McCoy and her team are not responsible for how WSU got into this situation, they are accountable for how WSU responds to it.

That is to say that the optics of a 10-minute Zoom meeting, in which 18-24-year-olds learn that their or their teammates’ athletic pursuits will no longer be supported by WSU, followed by little communication or dialogue, are not great and could have been easily avoided.

Would a question-and-answer period during the Zoom meeting have changed the outcome of numerous current athletes and alumni scorning the university? No, probably not.

However, student-athletes, many of whom have moved across the country or the world to entrust their athletic and academic careers to an institution, deserve a little more grace than that.

“We were upset because they said they had known for weeks but didn’t tell us because a few of us had made it to Nationals and were still competing,” WSU sprinter Ashley Hollenbeck-Willems said.

The WSU track and field program has consistently produced national champions. While some of the program’s most decorated athletes were distance runners, four out of the five athletes to represent WSU at Nationals this past year were sprinters, comprising a 400-meter relay team.

One of those relay team members, Mason Lawyer, set the WSU record in both the indoor and outdoor 200-meter dash this year and competed in the 100 and 200 at Nationals.

Days following WSU “limiting” his events and not renewing his coach’s contract, Lawyer is in the transfer portal.

He joins a slew of WSU athletes in the portal, including Hollenbeck-Willems and Lyons, who must cancel leases and figure out their next steps without the assistance of significant name, image and likeness deals or, for many track athletes, the benefit of full scholarships.

It also leaves three coaches and their families in a similar state of transition.

Coaches and pundits alike warned that Olympic sports could suffer drastically as schools attempt to reorder their budgets to prioritize revenue sharing.

Track and field was the first WSU sport affected. It almost certainly won’t be the last.

WSU, along with the rest of college athletics, is in uncharted waters.

Before any more programs drown at sea, the powers that be — college presidents and athletic directors, conference commissioners and TV executives — should come to terms with the weight of their actions and do everything they can to reverse course.

That won’t happen because TV executives are getting everything they want and everyone else is just trying to survive.

College sports may never be the same again and no one should be spinning it into a positive or spending any energy not attempting to fix what is clearly broken.

“This is never what college sports were meant to be,” Brooke Lyons said. “College sports are meant to build a spirit and community within the universities. Obviously, now we’re seeing it’s just kind of tearing them apart, and it’s lost its purpose. And I think people need to realize that quick, or else there’s going to be a lot more issues like this.”

Perhaps the powers that be in college athletics should start listening to the college athletes themselves.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.