MARK ETHERIDGE: Still pulling like a tractor at 62

SA has many long-serving sports stars but Gerhard Freiboth is certainly in it for the long haul.

For many, tug-of-war is a sport played by children in the park, but for Cape Town’s Freiboth it is a lifelong passion since the late 1960s and early 70s when he watched his uncles in action.

The Philippi farmer, now 62, started taking the sport seriously in his early teens and two months ago was still pulling for the Proteas at the highest level. That was at the world championships in Holten, Netherlands, where SA fared well.

“Tug-of-war has always been part of my family heritage. I heard about it when I was about seven or eight years old,” says Freiboth.

“It’s been quite a big thing in the area where I was brought up and for as long as I remember there was huge rivalry between the Kaapse Vlakte [Cape Flats] and Philippi tug-of-war clubs.”

“Even when I was in the air force in Pretoria I did a bit of tug-of-war. It’s a real team sport, teams of eight people on either end of the rope and everyone having to work together — it gets more  technical as the level of experience grows.”

He first pulled on national colours at senior level in 1987 and has since competed at international level for 34 years.

“There’s only one SA guy I know who has been actively involved  on the international front longer, about four years longer, and that’s my good mate, Roberto ‘Oosie’ Oosthuizen, up in Pretoria.”

His passion and power has taken him around the world on national duty.

“The sport is very big in Europe so I must have been to almost every country in Europe, many times in Switzerland where, alongside soccer and skiing it’s pretty much a national sport, so they get proper government funding and it’s very well run.”

As to which competition moment stands out for Freiboth, he homes in on 2002 on home soil.

“That was at the world championships in Pretoria where we pulled against Netherlands in the final of the 680kg division. We ended up losing, but won a silver medal and, if you think how big the sport is in Europe, this one really stood out.

“Also the 2005 World Games [the equivalent of the Olympic Games for non-Olympic codes] in Duisberg, Germany, we were in the top six countries, so that was another highlight.”

Freiboth has many other medals to look back on, including bronze at three world championships in the 720kg division in 2007, 2011 and 2018.

He says the sport is rather similar to rugby. “The basics stay the same, but what changes is the techniques which are constantly evolving.”

A common perception in SA is that the sport is almost exclusively an Afrikaans sport, but Freiboth says this isn’t so.

“A lot of people think that, but especially here in the Western Cape it’s very inclusive with many English and Xhosa-speaking competitors. This was reflected in our national teams at the world championships two months ago.”

Is there new blood coming into the SA version of the sport?

“There are some very promising new guys coming through, but a lot of people don’t realise that it takes years to gain experience as you move from youth to seniors and international level,” he says. “I’m expecting some big things at the next few years though.”

When it comes to club loyalty, False Bay runs through Freiboth’s veins. “The club started in 1976 when Kaapse Vlakte and Philippi joined forces. It went a bit dormant for a while but around 1983 it picked up nicely again and we’re in a good position right now with about 50 permanent pullers [men and women].”

Freiboth spent many years in the permanent force at Ysterplaat air force base before taking on his father’s dairy farm which he runs to this day.

At 1.94m tall and weighing around 120kg, he is well suited to physical work and says the nature of farm life keeps him fit. “We still train two or three times a week, but you have to be fit for this sport. It’s one of the hardest sports at top level, but if you’re fit you enjoy it even more.”

After a tough day on the rope, what hurts most?

“It’s a total workout. Your quads take a pounding and your lower back can really feel things, but that’s only if you spend a long period defending rather than attacking. Your hands always take strain from the pressure and friction of the rope.”

Final word goes to Freiboth’s biggest fan, his sister, Alicia, 48, who has also competed at the highest level for SA.

“It’s thanks to him coaching me that I took part. How many people at his age are so strong and mobile?” she says.

“He puts everything into his competing and coaching. My son regards him as a legend of the sport and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a prouder sister than me.”