The 1992 Barcelona Games will always hold special memories for South Africans as the time the country returned from sporting isolation into the Olympic fold. They didn’t win many medals, yet the whole country' s excitement that they could participate united the country.

The highest honour achieved by an individual South African was the silver medal won by Elana Meyer in the 10,000m running event, many compatriots remembering her proudly displaying the flag as she did a lap of honour with Ethiopian gold medallist Derartu Tulu. This was not only a symbol of achievement, but also a symbol of racial harmony – and one held dear by South Africans tasting the sweetness of being back in the international sporting arena.

Elana, who lives with her husband Mike in Stellenbosch, South Africa, sees this silver medal as the highlight of her career. `After many years of only competing in South Africa,' she says, `it was so satisfying to compete against the rest of the world and get a medal.'

Meyer remembers back to standing on the medal-winners' podium, listening to South Africa' s national anthem being played and seeing its flag raised. `It is always very special, because you really feel that the award is not just for yourself, but also for the country you love.'

The importance of the Olympic Games for an athlete is shown by the fact that one of Elana' s priorities is to win another Olympic medal. She also looks forward to competing in many more major marathons and half-marathons, the World Track Championships and the World Half Marathon Championships.

Elana first became interested in athletics at twelve. `I ran a fun run at our school and did quite well,' she explains. `I really enjoyed the whole experience. The next year I started doing the longer distance running events at school athletics and got hooked. I enjoy the fact that it is an individual sport - and that it is always a race against yourself as well as a race against other competitors. I also enjoy the fact that you can do it anywhere and with the absolute minimum of equipment.'

Meyer has gone on to achieve numerous medals and titles, and has been South Africa' s undisputed premier female athlete for many years. `I enjoy my sport,' the medall ist says, `and run because it is fun. It is no trouble for me to go out and train in the afternoons, because enjoying it makes it easier. The moment I don' t, I' ll stop.' `I have no special secrets for my success in athletics,' she adds. `I have an ordinar y training program. Success for me comes through training consistently over the long term. You cannot expect to come out on top if you decide to skip training sessions for just any flimsy reason. You have to be prepared to work hard. And this is easier to do if you enjoy training.'

Other high moments in Elana' s career include winning the World Cup 10 000m in London and the World Half Marathon in Oslo, both in 1994. Another special achievement was when she came back from some serious injuries to break the world record and finish second at the World Half Marathon Championships in Zurich in 1998.

Top-class long-distance running is a world in which only the fittest survive. It requires constant hard work, discipline and a rigorous training schedule. This sport, which takes competitors to all corners of the globe, creates many pressures for the athletes concerned, as Elana explains: `You put your body under a lot of pressure training so hard. There are many expectations from yourself and others. There is a constant striving to be the best you can. There is the pressure to keep your motives pure. And you spend a lot of time away from home.'

Fortunately, Elana’s life is guided by a simple belief which helps her cope with these pressures and demands: `I am in the first place a Christian, who happens also to be an athlete. The two are inseparable. You cannot say you are a Christian on Sundays when you go to church and when you have devotional times, but when you are training you are on your own. My athletics is just a part of my life. I am first and foremost a Christian, secondly an athlete - but the two are not separate compartments of my life.'

`Prior to every race I ask the Lord to use me as would seem best to him,' Meyer continues. `Then, having asked that of him, whether it goes well with me or not, the result will be the best. I can be content with that. When I do well, I am overjoyed because I know that it is the Lord who wanted it that way, and when I don't do well I don't have to feel bad because it happened that way for a good reason.'

Having competed at the top level of athletics for much of the last decade, Elana knows first-hand how important it is to have clear-cut priorities - and her highest is to try and live as God wants her to. She feels that her biggest opportunity to show others her faith is by competing as a Christian athlete, `so that my whole attitude is more than just winning,' she adds.

This attitude developed when Elana was young. `I grew up in a Christian family and have experienced God's love since childhood,' she says. `Being a Christian involves having a personal, day-to-day relationship with God. It was during my first year at high school that my faith became more than a mere formality, and I accepted Jesus Christ into my life. During the years that followed, I didn't really believe that I was a child of his. When all went well and I was happy, I felt like a child of God. When all wasn't well, I didn't feel like one. My confidence was completely subjective. I would then receive him into my life all over again. This happened repeatedly and I found it frustrating. At this stage, I was depending on my feelings, not God's promises.'

`During my first semester at Stellenbosch University, I began to train with a bunch of guys. While we were training, they would simply start talking about the Lord: how good he is, what he does for them. This made a deep impression on me. Until that time, my idea of being a Christian had been more in the line of reading my Bible in the evening, or hearing about God in church or in a Bible study group - during an ordinary day I would never really speak to anybody about him. These guys were different; meeting them was a turning point in my life. I began to realise that once I had received Christ, I belonged to him. It doesn't matter how I feel or whether things go well or not, I will remain a child of God.'

`This was the first year that I began to live. From then on I found that I could involve the Lord in other areas of my life, and started taking a sincere interest in other people. You see, you can't take a degree, a car, nice clothing, track shoes or anything else to heaven - you can only take people. So surely I must tell people about the Lord. All this motivated me to be more open about my faith and start speaking to my friends.'

Elana's favorite Bible verse is one which has been translated into many languages and is often seen on a placard at international sporting events. John 3:16 sums up the message of the entire Bible: `For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die, but have eternal life.' Elana says that she loves this verse because it `describes God's amazing love.'

Elana's athletics career has not only been filled with high points. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, she was forced out of the marathon because of an injury to her Achilles tendon. Elana knows that being a Christian doesn't mean that there will be no low points or disappointments in life, but rather that she will have the strength to cope with the difficult times. In the high-paced world of top-class running, Elana knows the value of this balanced approach more than most. She has been through triumph and agony on the track, but all the time she has kept her faith.

‘It gives my whole life purpose. Although being a Christian isn't always smooth sailing, it is great to be a child of God, because God is love. His will is love and his laws are laws of love. As the Bible says, “Let him that glories, glory in the Lord.” Athletics is just a gift, but without the Lord I would not have accomplished anything on my own.’ Elana Meyer has had success on race tracks all over the world, but ultimately she realises the crucial importance of being on the right track in life.

Article courtesy of Gillian Turner and Peter Furst