For Gareth May, the road to the Olympics has not been easy, but after much hard work and dedication, he is proud to be part of the South African Men’s Water Polo team to compete at the 2020 (2021) Tokyo Olympic Games.
“I am the player I am today because of all the teams I have been a part of, all the coaches who invested their time in me, all the family and friends who supported me, and all the youngsters I have mentored,” says Gareth May – a DPHS Old Boy and currently a DPHS Grade 6 staff member.
For Gareth, his water polo journey started in Grade 5 when he heard the older boys talking about the sport. “I was in the swimming team and one of the top swimmers in my age group, so thought I would give water polo a go. In my first game, I started as a wing and managed to score a couple of goals. I loved every minute of the game – and fell in love with the sport, thanks to Mike Samuels who taught me the basics of the game. In Grade 7, I then converted to goalkeeper.”
Gareth was then selected for the KZN U13 team as a non-travelling reserve, which disappointed him. “This made me work harder the following year, which resulted in me being selected for the KZN U14 team.
For high school, Gareth attended Clifton College and chose water polo over cricket. The water polo programme at Clifton was a strong one run by Brad Rowe, who Gareth says, he is grateful to because without him he would not be where he is today.
“I made the water polo 1st team at the end of Grade 10, and went on to win many school tournaments. I then played for KZN from U14-U18, winning many inter-provincial tournaments, before being selected for the SA U18 team as well as the SA schools team in 2014 (matric year),” says Gareth.
“My message to young players is to never give up on your dreams. I have been left out of many teams over the years and each time was disappointed. I could have given up, but I didn’t. I continued to chase my dream and am so happy all my hard work has paid off. Remember to always give 100% at every practice, and keep pushing yourself to the limit.”
Any parting words before heading to the Olympics? “I will play my heart out for South Africa and for the DPHS boys watching. Achieving your dreams is possible – so never give up.”
Gareth’s tournaments representing South Africa:
- 2015: U20 World Champs, Kazakhstan
- 2017: World Students Games, Taiwan
- 2017: EU Nations Men’s Water Polo Championships, Poland
- 2018: EU Nations Men’s Water Polo Championships, Czech Republic
- 2019: EU Nations Men’s Water Polo Championships, Czech Republic
- 2021: Olympic training squad
- 2021: Olympic team