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Sport dominates Google SA searches in July

Cape Town - Sport was top of mind for South Africans using the internet last month, according to search giant Google.

According to data from Google South Africa, Wimbledon was the most searched for topic, and tennis star Kevin Anderson was popular among South Africans using the search engine.

Anderson played a mammoth game against the number one seeded Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon championship, prompting the interest in the South African born tennis star.

The data showed that searches for Anderson peaked on July 6, while searches for Wimbledon peaked in July overall.

Sport gripped South Africans online who also searched for web pages related to the Tour de France, the British Open, Women's World Cup and Copa América (America Cup); the Rugby Championship, and horse-racing event the Vodacom Durban July.

Social media

The J-Bay Open also attracted usually strong attention from Google users, with search terms like "shark attack video" featuring on Google trends.

The J-Bay Open made news headlines around the world after a shark attacked surfer Michael "Mick" Fanning who punched the ocean predator. Fanning escaped unscathed.

Social media also erupted with the footage, spawning fake headlines such as "Shark survives encounter with Australian".

Beyond sports, South Africans also demonstrated interest in astronomy as Nasa's New Horizons approached dwarf planet Pluto at the conclusion of a 7.5 billion kilometre journey.

Search terms "Pluto photos", "Pluto news", "Nasa news" and "Nasa announcement" were among the top searches related to the expedition that revealed more detail about the body at the edge of the solar system.

In serious news, Greece's economic woes, Nkandla, Bill Cosby, and Sandra Bland, the black woman who died in American police custody under suspicious circumstances, also appeared in a number of search terms in this month’s trends.


- Follow Duncan on Twitter

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