Swimming South Africa

Durban, Friday, 15th April 2016 - Four additional Olympic and Paralympic qualification times were posted at Durban’s Kings Park Aquatics Centre as Chad Le Clos, Brad Tandy, Hendri Herbst and Adri Visser shined bright during the second-last day of the SA National Aquatic Championships. Chad le Clos raced to his third Olympic Qualification time of the competition, this time in the 100m butterfly semi-finals, clocking 51.91 to Ryan Coetzee’s 53.44 and Dylan Bosch’s 54.04, ahead of tomorrow night’s final. Brad Tandy, who swam to an Olympic Qualifying time of 22.13 in the heats session of the 50m freestyle earlier in the day, topped the evening semi-finals race in a slower 22.28, to the required 22.27. Tandy will be looking to improve on that performance when he takes to the water in tomorrow’s final, alongside Douglas Erasmus and Roland Schoeman, who finished in 22.40 and 22.69 respectively. The semi-finals of the 200m backstroke were contested between Nathania van Niekerk, Mariella Venter and Samantha Randle, with Van Niekerk touching the wall first in 2:11.53 to Venter’s 2:13.36 and Randle’s 2:17.71. The final of the event will take place tomorrow. Tatjana Schoenamer just missed out on qualification to the Rio Olympic Games in the 200m breaststroke event, finishing the race in 2:26.95, while Kaylene Corbett walked away with the silver in 2:30.18 and Franko Jonker with the bronze in 2:31.29. The set standard stood at 2:26.94. Karin Prinsloo raced ahead of the pack in the 100m freestyle and won the gold in 56.12, while Erin Gallagher claimed the silver in a close 56.31 and Tayla Lovemore the bronze in 56.98. In the 200m backstroke, Martin Binedell made his way to the top of the medal podium in 2:01.35 followed by Neil Fair in 2:02.40 and Ricky Ellis in 2:02.72, while Bosch took the honors in the 200m individual medley in 2:01.24 ahead of Michael Meyer (2:01.69) and Jarryd Baxter (2:03.21). Hendri Herbst (S11) raced to his third Paralympic Qualification time, clocking a fast 27.24 in the 50m freestyle, while Adri Visser (S5) added her name to the ever-growing list in the 50m butterfly, when she finished in 52.02 to the required 54.29. Mark Roach won the S14 and S15 50m freestyle event in 25.43 ahead of Craig Groenewald in 27.11 and Aaron Putz in 28.29, while on the ladies side, Christelle Kriel, Cornell Loubser and Maritza Snyder topped their race in 30.89, 29.64 and 34.88, respectively. Loubser scooped the gold ahead of Kriel in the 50m butterfly, touching the wall in 30.02 to Kriel’s 33.29, while Groenewald went one better in his category, winning the race in 29.34, with Ahmat Hassiem walked away with the gold in the S1-S13 race in 27.45. In the S1-S13 50m freestyle, Emily Gray, Shireen Sapiro and Shannon Martins came out on top in 32.53, 31.56 and 34.35 respectively. The final day heats will start at 10h00 while the finals will begin at 18h30. The staging of this event has been made possible through the support provided by Swimming SA partners, Sport and Recreation South Africa, SASCOC, National Lotteries Commission, Arena, Rand Water and the SABC. Olympic Qualifying Times following Day 06: · Sebastien Rousseau – 400m individual medley – 4:14.75 · Michael Meyer – 400m individual medley – 4:15.71 · Myles Brown – 400m freestyle – 3:48.86 · Cameron van der Burgh – 100m breaststroke – 59.66 · Cameron van der Burgh – 200m breaststroke – 2:10.13 · Christopher Reid – 100m backstroke – 54.02 · Chad le Clos – 200m freestyle – 1:47.75 · Chad le Clos – 200m butterfly – 1:55.04 · Chad le Clos – 100m butterfly – 51.91 (SF) · Jarred Crous – 200m breaststroke – 2:11.65 · Brad Tandy – 50m freestyle – 22.13 (heats) Paralympic Qualifying Times following Day 06: · Kevin Paul (SM10) – 200m individual medley – 2:15.78 · Kevin Paul (SB9) – 100m breaststroke – 1:05.10 · Johann van Heerden (SB9) – 100m breaststroke – 1:12.64 · Alani Ferreira (SM13) – 200m individual medley – 2:50.43 · Alani Ferreira (S13) – 400m freestyle – 5:21.00 (heats) · Alani Ferreira (SB13) – 100m breaststroke – 1:26.90 · Alani Ferreira (S13) – 100m butterfly – 1:23.37 · Emily Gray (S9) – 400m freestyle – 5:05.36 (heats) · Emily Gray (S10) – 100m backstroke – 1:17.17 · Craig Groenewald (SB14) – 100m breaststroke – 1:12.33 · Hendri Herbst (S11) – 100m backstroke – 1:16.84 · Hendri Herbst (S11) – 100m freestyle – 1:00.01 · Hendri Herbst (S11) – 50m freestyle – 27.24 · Shireen Sapiro (S10) – 100m backstroke – 1:11.87 · Achmat Hassiem (S10) – 100m butterfly – 1:00.44 (heats) · Beth Nothling (S5) – 50m backstroke – 55.50 · Adri Visser (S5) – 50m butterfly – 52.02 *SF – Semi-Final

Cameron van der Burgh and Jarred Crous turned up the tempo as they posted thrilling finishes and recorded Olympic Qualifying Times on the fifth day of the SA National Aquatic Championships at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre in Durban.

Van der Burgh was quick off the block and confirmed his Olympic Qualification time in the 200m breaststroke with a golden 2:10.13, while 19 year old Crous was over the moon with his first qualification time of the competition and the silver medal, clocking 2:11.65, just 0.01secs under the required 2:11.66. Ayrton Sweeney won the bronze in 2:14.36.

Christopher Reid just missed out on adding the 200m backstroke to his list of Olympic Qualifying times when he raced to a 1:58.31 in tonight’s semi-finals, just 0.09secs of the required 1:58.22. Reid will be looking to better that performance in tomorrow’s final.

In the 200m breaststroke semi-finals, Tatjana Schoenmaker, Franko Jonker and Kaylene Corbett swam the fastest to qualify for tomorrow evening’s final in 2:27.48, 2:28.70 and 2:32.29, while on the men’s side, Sebastien Rousseau, Neil Fair and Dylan Bosch topped the 200m individual medley semi-finals in 2:01.21, 2:04.02 and 2:04.31, respectively.

Erin Gallagher and Karin Prinsloo finished first and second the 100m freestyle semi-finals in 56.30 and 56.54, respectively and will both strive for faster times ahead of tomorrow night’s final, in the hope of clocking the set 54.43.

Rene Warnes was at the top of the medal podium in the 200m butterfly in 2:16.75, over six seconds ahead of Marli Jacobs in 2:22.25 and Hanim Abrahams in 2:22.46, while the 100m freestyle title went to Calvyn Justus in 49.88, followed by Myles Brown in 50.21 and Douglas Erasmus in 50.31

Two more Paralympic Qualifying Times were posted in the multi-disability events as Beth Nothling added her name to the growing list, finishing the 50m backstroke in 55.50 to the required 56.11.

Hendri Herbst (S11) raced to his second Paralympic Qualification time in the 100m freestyle, touching the wall in 1:00.01, while Emily Gray claimed the gold in her category in 1:09.94 and Craig Groenewald won the S14 and S15 race in 58.45.

In the S14 and S15 50m backstroke, Mark Roach was victorious in 29.71 ahead of Aaron Putz in 33.08 and Raymond de Freitas in 33.89, while on the ladies side, Christelle Kriel came out on top in 36.55 with the silver and bronze going to Michaela Kretzen (40.57) and Maritza Snyder (42.53). The trio also finished with the gold, silver and bronze in the 100m freestyle, clocking 1:03.20, 1:07.82 and 1:15.28 respectively.

Achmat Hassiem won the S1-S13 50m backstroke in 32.54, followed by Jean Pretorius in 33.87 and Thulane Mabuza in 35.64, as Shireen Sapiro scooped the gold in her respective race in 34.79 ahead of Shannon Martins (40.97) and Michelle Bloem (39.24).

Sapiro (S10) and Hassiem (S10) also claimed the silver medals in the 100m freestyle in 1:08.99 and 57.38 respectively.

The day 06 heats will start at 10h00 while the finals will begin at 18h30 daily.

The staging of this event has been made possible through the support provided by Swimming SA partners, Sport and Recreation South Africa, SASCOC, National Lotteries Commission, Arena, Rand Water and the SABC.

Olympic Qualifying Times following Day 05: · Sebastien Rousseau – 400m individual medley – 4:14.75 · Michael Meyer – 400m individual medley – 4:15.71 · Myles Brown – 400m freestyle – 3:48.86 · Cameron van der Burgh – 100m breaststroke – 59.66 · Cameron van der Burgh – 200m breaststroke – 2:10.13 · Christopher Reid – 100m backstroke – 54.02 · Chad le Clos – 200m freestyle – 1:47.75 · Chad le Clos – 200m butterfly – 1:55.04 · Jarred Crous – 200m breaststroke – 2:11.65

Paralympic Qualifying Times following Day 05: · Kevin Paul (SM10) – 200m individual medley – 2:15.78 · Kevin Paul (SB9) – 100m breaststroke – 1:05.10 · Johann van Heerden (SB9) – 100m breaststroke – 1:12.64 · Alani Ferreira (SM13) – 200m individual medley – 2:50.43 · Alani Ferreira (S13) – 400m freestyle – 5:21.00 (heats) · Alani Ferreira (SB13) – 100m breaststroke – 1:26.90 · Alani Ferreira (S13) – 100m butterfly – 1:23.37 · Emily Gray (S9) – 400m freestyle – 5:05.36 (heats) · Emily Gray (S10) – 100m backstroke – 1:17.17 · Craig Groenewald (SB14) – 100m breaststroke – 1:12.33 · Hendri Herbst (S11) – 100m backstroke – 1:16.84 · Hendri Herbst (S11) – 100m freestyle – 1:00.01 · Shireen Sapiro (S10) – 100m backstroke – 1:11.87 · Achmat Hassiem (S10) – 100m butterfly – 1:00.44 (heats) · Beth Nothling (S5) – 50m backstroke – 55.50

*SF – Semi-Final

The 2015 South African Swimming Grand Prix wrapped up today at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre in Durban, once again proving that there is no shortage of local talent.

Olympic gold medalist Cameron van der Burgh completed the SA Swimming Grand Prix on a high note with his second win of the competition, this time in the 100m breaststroke final.

Van der Burgh was in the lead from start to finish and touched the wall in a time of 1:01.79 followed closely by Jarred Crous in 1:03.00 and Aytron Sweeney in 1:03.93.

USA’s Michael Andrew, whose parents were born and raised in Mzansi, won the 50m freestyle and came second in the 50m backstroke.

Andrew’s winning time of 23.34 in the 50m freestyle gave him his second victory of the Durban Grand Prix, while his time of 26.29 in the 50m backstroke saw the 15 year-old claim another second place finish.

Ricky Ellis took the 50m backstroke title with a time of 26.19.

Serbia’s Stjepanovic Velimir bagged his third title, winning the 200m freestyle in a time of 1:50.45 with the second place going to Timothy Sates in 1:53.97 and the third to Kyle van Niekerk in 1:54.12.

18 year-old Daniel Ronaldson claimed his first win of the competition in the 100m butterfly event, finishing in a time of 55.31 with Nico Meyer claiming the second spot in 55.33 and Darren Murray in third (57.11).

The 200m backstroke was lucky for winner Martin Binedell who grabbed the top place with a time of 2:04.46 ahead of Neil de Villiers (2:07.21) and Ruan Ras (2:07.86).

The 1500m freestyle was won by 18 year-old Brent Szurdoki in 15:55.62, followed by Danie Marais (15:57.09) and Jarryd Baxter (16:13.94), with the 200m individual medley title going to Adam Stevenson in 2:08.48 ahead of

Paul van Achterbergh in 2:09.39 and BF Burger in 2:11.83.

Rene Warnes added the 400m individual medley and 200m butterfly titles to her name.

Warnes was fastest in the 400m individual medley, clocking 4:51.79, over 10 seconds ahead of her competition, Megan van Wyk (5:01.97) and Erin Anderson (5:05.14).

In the 200m butterfly, 23 year-old Warnes was over 5 seconds ahead of Leam Strydom (2:24.77) and Caitlin Kat (2:26.26) when she topped the event in a time of 2:18.51.

The ladies posted some impressive times on the final day of the competition with Tatjana Schoenmaker also winning two races, the 50 and 200m breaststroke.

Schoenmaker sped to the finish in both events, clocking 33.08 in the 50m breaststroke and 2:32.58 in the 200m breaststroke. Kelly Gunnell came in second place in both races, with a time of 33.96 and 2:34.37 respectively.

A first and a second place finish was on the cards for Marlies Ross.

Ross claimed the top stop in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:27.75 ahead of Jessica Whelan (4:32.98) and Samantha Randle (4:33.70) and finished the event with the second position in the 100m freestyle, clocking a time of 59.11 to Erin Gallagher’s winning time of 56.38.

The 50m butterfly final was won by Hanna McLean-Leonard in 28.78 with the second place going to Bailey Desmarais in 29.13 and the third to Camryn Wheals in 29.66, while the honours in the 100m backstroke race went to Mariella Venter (1:03.43) followed by Nathania van Niekerk (1:03.61) and Desmarais (1:06.55).

“We are happy with the staging of the inaugural two leg South African Swimming Grand Prix and thank Western Province Aquatics and KwaZulu Natal Aquatics for hosting the events in Stellenbosch and Durban respectively.” said Swimming SA’s CEO: Shaun Adriaanse.

“The introduction of these events marks a key turning point in our long term athlete development programme with the focus on providing a local high level competition for our elite senior and youth swimmers. Testament to this plan is the improved performances of our swimmers, in particular the youth, justifying the staging of the series.

“The Grand Prix was a big success, albeit relatively low key this year and our plans are to expand the series with additional events and improved presentation, come 2016.” concluded Adriaanse. 

Johannesburg, 12 June 2014 – The South African swimming contingent continued to bag three gold medals at the second leg of the Mare Nostrum Tour in Canet en Roussillon in France this evening.

It was a good start for upcoming Seagulls swimmer Myles Devon Brown as he continued his winning streak, bagging the first gold medal for the South African swimmers. Myles swam to victory in the men’s 400m freestyle clocking a time of 3:50.93 ahead of Spain’s Miguel Navia Duran who took the silver medal clocking a time of 3:51.91 and taking the bronze medal was Polish swimmer Filip Zaborowski with a time of 3:51.93.

Olympian Karin Prinsloo continued to be in great form as she lead the women swimmers at this leg of the circuit as well. Prinsloo who continued to impress as she bagged South Africa’s second gold medal of the evening. Prinsloo swam to victory in the women’s 200m backstroke clocking a time of 2:10.84, in second position was Iceland swimmer Osk Eyglo Gustafsdottir clocking a time of 2:11.86 and taking the bronze medal was Russian swimmer K – Daria Ustinova clocking a time of 2:12.47.

It was not to be for Olympian Karin Prinsloo as she just could not hold a spot on the podium in the women’s 200m freestyle as she came in fourth position clocking a time of 1:57.58. It was French Olympian swimmer Camille Muffat to swim to victory, clocking a fast time of 1:56.26. Fellow teammate Charlotte Bonnet took the second position clocking a time of 1:57.00 and with Russian swimmer, Veronika Popva taking the bronze medal with a time of 1:57.60.

In the final race of the night, Myles Devon Brown bagged his second gold medal and South Africa’s third medal of the evening. Brown impressed as he bagged yet another gold medal in the men’s 200m freestyle clocking a time of 1:47.70. To take the silver medal was Russian swimmer Artem Lobuzor clocking a time of 1:48.71 and with French swimmer taking the bronze medal clocking a time of 1:48.93.

The second and last day of the Canet en Roussillon leg morning heats will start at 09h00 and finals start at 16h45.

Results can be obtained on Mare Nostrum website: www.marenostrumswimming.com

Please visit www.swimsa.org for further information and news regarding Swimming South Africa.



Johannesburg, 08 June 2014 – Day 2 of the final day of the first leg of the Mare Nostrum circuit in Monte Carlo, Monaco saw the South African swimming team bag two more medals to their medal tally one gold and a bronze medal.

The men’s 400m Individual Medley was the first race of the evening, and it was Hungarian swimmer David Verraszto that dominated the race from start to finish to bag his gold medal in a time of 4:15.76, in second position was teammate Laszlo Cseh clocking a time of 4:17.19 and taking the bronze medal was Japanese swimmer Hiromasa Fujimori clocking a time of 4:17.65. Olympian Chad le Clos narrowly missed the bronze medal coming in fourth position clocking a time of 4:21.51.

There was no stopping Karin Prinsloo as she continued her fine form to bag South Africa’s first medal of the evening in the women’s 400m freestyle. Karin swam her way to take the bronze medal clocking a time of 4:08.50. It was another win for Hungarian swimmer, Katinka Hosszu as she clocked a time of 4:05.51 and taking the silver medal was French swimmer and Olympian Camille Muffat clocking a time of 4:07.11. Prinsloo missed out on another medal in the women’s 100m freestyle as she came in fourth position.

The star of the evening for Team SA was upcoming Seagulls swimmer Devon Myles Brown as he swam to victory in the men’s 200m freestyle clocking an inspirational time of 1:47.88. It was not to be for fellow teammate and Olympian Chad le Clos as he disappointed to finish in the top three. In second position was Hungarian swimmer Dominque Komza swimming a time of 1:48.54 and in third position was Japanese swimmer Daiye Seto clocking a time of 1:48.71.

Other top performances of the evening came from Japanese swimmer and world number 1 in the men’s 200m backstroke Ryosurke Irie as he showcased brilliant technique clocking an impressive time of 1:54.91 bagging a gold medal. Great Britain’s Elizabeth Simmonds bagged her second medal as she swam to victory in the women’s 100m backstroke clocking a time of 1:00.01.

The South African swimming team has bagged a total of five medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze) in the first leg of the Mare Nostrum circuit in Monaco. The second leg is in Canet and starts Wednesday 11 June and finishes Thursday 12 June.

Please visit www.swimsa.org for further information and news regarding Swimming South Africa. 

Johannesburg, 07 June 2014 – Day 1 of the first leg of the Mare Nostrum Swimming Series at Monte Carlo, Monaco got off to a good start as the swimming team bagged a total of three medals ( two gold and one silver medal).  It was upcoming Seagulls swimmer Devon Myles Brown to bag the first gold medal for the SA Swimming Team in the men’s 400m freestyle, as he swam to victory clocking a time of 3:49.57.

Karin Prinsloo continued her fine form in the pool as she won her race in the women’s 200m freestyle in a new SA Record Time of 1:57.17 to bring the medal tally to two gold medals for the SA Swimming Team. In second came Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu clocking a time of 1:57.30 and in third was French Olympian Camille Muffat clocking a time of 1:57.31 taking the bronze medal. In the women’s 200m backstroke, Karin Prinsloo missed a spot on the podium as she came in fourth position clocking a time of 2:12.54. It was Great Britain swimmer Elizabeth Simmonds to claim the gold medal clocking a time of 2:10.17 and in second was Ukraine swimmer Daryna Zevina clocking a time of 2:10.79 and taking the bronze medal was German swimmer Sonelle Ozurk clocking a time of 2:12.36.

There were high expectations for South African golden boy Chad le Clos to bag the medals in his races but it was not to be as Japanese swimmer Daiya Seto caused the biggest upset of the evening winning the men’s 200m butterfly clocking a time of 1:54.70 and Chad le Clos taking the silver medal in a time of 1:57.13. In the men’s 200m Individual Medley Chad just missed the podium as he came in fourth  position.

The final day of the morning heats start at 09h00 and finals start at 16h30. Swimming is broadcast live on DSTV on channel on 208 from 16h30.

Please visit www.swimsa.org for further information and news regarding Swimming South Africa.



Johannesburg, 06 June 2014 – South African swimmers are ready to showcase their skills in Monaco this Saturday and Sunday as the first leg of the Mare Nostrum series gets off to a star studded start. In addition to big American and Russian contingents, countries like Japan, Brazil, Hungary, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, France and Great Britain will also be represented at this year’s series.

The South African contingent is made up of mostly of swimmers that will be participating at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing. The team is spearheaded by SA Olympic and world butterfly champion Chad le Clos and 2013 Swimming Magazine Female African Swimmer of the Year, Karin Prinsloo.

Prinsloo who has been in top form this year, has qualified in four events for the Commonwealth Games, in the 100m and 200m freestyle and 100m and 200m backstroke will be eager to showcase her skills in the pool. Fellow team mate Chad le Clos is entered to swim in the 200m and 400m Medley and 200m freestyle and 200m breaststroke and 200m butterfly.

The SA team compromises of 38 swimmers.

Team members are:

Women:

Erin Gallagher -1991

Trudi Maree - 1991

Lindsay Mcleod -1991

Karin Prinsloo - 1989

Marlies Ross – 1991

Rene Warnes – 1992

Men:

Kevin Bargate – 1991

Martin Binedell – 1991

James Douglas Brooks -1991

Devon Myles Brown -1992

Jarred Crous – 1991

Byron Doyle – 1991

Tristan Doyle -1991

Douglas Erasmus – 1991

Lee Geeson -1991

Clayton Jimmie -1991

Calvin Justus -1991

Chad le Clos -1992

Clayton Muller -1991

Darren Murray -1991

Bailey Musgrave -1991

Kevin Paul -1991

Daniel Ronaldson -1991

Timothy Sates -1991

Leith Shankland – 1991

Joshau Steyn -1991

JP van der Merwe -1991

Jacques van Wyk – 1991

Joshua Walters – 1991

Reynard Wessels – 1994

Peter Wetzlar -1991

Kyle Wittstock – 1991

Please visit www.swimsa.org for further information and news regarding Swimming South Africa. 

Johannesburg 02 June 2014, Swimming South Africa together in partnership with the Austrian Sport Ministerium continue on their quest to bring education on water safety and portable pool programmes to the local community of Evaton in the Sedibeng District Municipality and Daveyton Township in the Ekhurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. The official site visit for the portable pool projects at Chief Luthuli Primary School in Daveyton and Zitha Primary School in Evaton Small Farm in Gauteng. The identified schools are also in close proximity to two or three more schools that can benefit from the programme.

The portable pools initiative will allow for greater access to the “Learn to Swim Programmes’ particularly in previously disadvantaged areas where SSA trained instructors are deployed and foundation phase learners are taught to swim.

“For safety children must be taught to swim as they are easily attracted to bodies of water. The portable pools will allow us to teach children how to enjoy water in a safe way as well as introduce them to aquatics in the controlled environment of a classroom”, said Eileen Xhakaza, the Mass Participation manager.

Currently Swimming South Africa with the financial aid from the Austrian Sport Ministerium have installed a total of four portable pools, two in Mtubatuba in Kwazulu -Natal and two in Gauteng.

The site visit for the two portable pools will be on Tuesday the 03 of June 2014 starting at Chief Luthuli Primary School at 10h30 until 11h00 followed by Zitha Primary School will start at 12h30 until 13h00.

Programmes are scheduled to run from 03 June until December 2014 and will resume again the following year when schools reopen.

“Our aim of making Every South African a Swimmer has been taken one step further with the kind assistance of the Austrian Sports Ministerium” said Swimming South Africa’s CEO Mr Shaun Adriaanse.

“This project will give the necessary tools to the learners of Zitha and Luthuli Primary School and grant them an opportunity to experience the joys of swimming in a safe and secure environment’’, concluded Mr Adriaanse..

Please visit www.swimsa.org for further information and news regarding Swimming South Africa.



Johannesburg, 31 March 2014 - IT isn't every day that you get to say you just beat Michael Phelps and Tom Shields in one race, but Michigan's Dylan Bosch now has that ability after breaking the U.S. Open and NCAA records in the men's 200-yard fly at the NCAA Division I Men's Championships, in Austin, Texas.

Bosch went out hard, splitting a 22.65, 47.28 and 1:12.75 before fading a bit the last 50 en route to a 1:39.33. He was more than a second under the record pace at the 150, but had just enough to beat the 1:39.65 shared by Michael Phelps (2010) and Tom Shields (2013). Bosch, a South African, isn't eligible to take down the American record, so Phelps and Shields remain in control of that mark.

"It feels great. I was a first-seed last year at my first NCAAs," Bosch said. "That was a great experience being next to (California's) Tom (Shields, in 2013). But I kind of wanted to win that one. I was just a freshman so I was pretty young. A year later and it's an amazing feeling. It's a really fast meet, it's probably one of the fastest meets in the world. So, to be on the top of that podium is an awesome feeling and just a testament to how great the guys are at Michigan and how well we all train. I couldn't have done it without them."

Florida's Marcin Cieslak finished just off a title trifecta as he couldn't at the 200 fly to his previous wins in the 200 IM and 100 fly. He posted a 1:40.19 to take second tonight. California's Marcin Tarczynski wound up third in 1:42.11.

NC State's Christian McCurdy (1:42.18), Michigan's Kyle Whitaker (1:42.56), Arizona's Michael Meyer (1:43.05), Indiana's Steve Schmuhl (1:43.17) and Florida's Sebastien Rousseau (1:44.34) finished fourth through eighth behind the top three in the finale.

Florida State's Connor Knight went out hard with a 48.26 at the 100, and managed to finish with a strong 1:42.25 to win the B final. Arizona State's Alexandru Coci originally placed second in 1:42.97 with LSU's Frank Greeff taking third in 1:43.46. Coci, however, was disqualified after further review, so Greeff moved up to second.

California's Long Gutierrez picked up third with a 1:43.48 to keep adding to California's leading tally. Columbia's David Jakl (1:43.98), Stanford's Tom Kremer (1:44.27), Auburn's Arthur Mendes (1:44.51) and Minnesota's Kyler Van Swol (1:44.67) also put up times in the consolation heat.

Splits

1 Bosch, Dylan SO Michigan 1:40.67 1:39.33 r:+0.70 22.65 47.28 (24.63) 1:12.75 (25.47) 1:39.33 (26.58) 2 Cieslak, Marcin SR Florida 1:41.48 1:40.19 r:+0.68 22.50 48.41 (25.91) 1:14.03 (25.62) 1:40.19 (26.16) 3 Tarczynski, Marcin SR California 1:42.02 1:42.11 r:+0.75 23.22 48.98 (25.76) 1:15.14 (26.16) 1:42.11 (26.97)

Team Standings

1. California 434.5 2. Texas 370.5 3. Florida 363 4. Michigan 302 5. Georgia 253 6. Auburn 177 7. Arizona 168.5 8. USC 156 9. Indiana 141 10. Stanford 140

Please visit www.swimsa.org for further information and news regarding Swimming South Africa.



Johannesburg, 05 December 2013 – The Junior South African Swimming Team returned from the 10th Africa Junior Swimming Championships which was held in Lusaka, Zambia from 28 November to 01 December 2013 at the Lusaka Olympic Swimming Pool with a dominant performance as defending champions.

The team won a total of 78 medals combined which included 46 gold, 17 silver and 15 bronze medals. In second came Egypt with a total combined medal count of 62 medals which included 5 gold, 33 silver and 24 bronze medals.

The four day swimming gala saw the South African swimmers breaking a staggering 22 African Junior Records. In the women’s section, the Victrix Ludorum trophy in the U15/16 went to South African Samantha Randle who broke a Junior African Record in the 200m backstroke with her team mates Erin Gallagher and Tarryn Els tied for second place. The Victor Ludorum trophy for the U13/14 boys went to South African swimmer Kade Wood. In the U15/16 men, South African Joshua Steyn was crowned Victor Ludorum winning a total of 8 individual gold medals breaking 6 Junior African Records, the outstanding performer of the meet.

The CEO of Swimming South Africa had this to say on the team’s overall performance, “The young athletes performed exceptionally well and we are confident that the future stars for swimming will come from this team which was selected to represent our country at the African Junior Swimming Championships.”

Johannesburg, Thursday 22nd August 2013 – Johannesburg, 22 August 2013 – Swimming South Africa has announced a strong team of athletes to represent the country at the 4th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Dubai at the Hamden Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex from the 26 -31st of August 2013.

After great swimming performances at the recent SA Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg, swimmers Jolandi Els (19), Justine Macfarlane (17) and Nathania van Niekerk (14) will be among a highly competitive group of ladies to represent South Africa in the championships. Swimmers Ithumeleng Lesenyeho (18), Jarred Crous (17), Christopher Reid (17) will be looking for faster times as they strive for glory at the championships.

In wishing the national junior team all the best wishes for the upcoming 4th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Dubai, SSA CEO Mr Shaun Adriaanse said “We trust that the team will make the country proud, through their combined strength and determination.”

The nineteen team squad will leave Friday, 23 August 2013 departing from OR Tambo International Airport at 14h10. Full team list: Men: Women: Alaric Basson (EPA) Emma Chelius (KZNA) Alard Basson (EPA) Tia Dixon (WPA) Ryan Coetzee (NTS) Jolandi Els (FSA) Clayton Jimmie (KZNA) Nina Hess (WPA) Calvyn Justus (KZNA) Justine Macfarlane (CGA) Itumeleng Lensenyeho (CGA) Rita Naude (NTS) Caydon Muller (NTS) Kyna Pereira (KZNA) Christopher Reid (EPA) Marlies Ross (NTS) Brent Szurdoki (CGA) Nathania van Niekerk Jarred Crous (NTS)

Pietermaritzburg, Friday, 16th August 2013 – The expectations were high for Olympian swimmer Suzaan van Biljon to win and she delivered the goods as she won her first gold medal at this year’s SA Short Course Championships in an impressive manner, a time of 31:97 to claim victory. Upcoming swimmer Jamie Reynolds from Seals Swimming Club also had a great swim to claim a silver medal in a time of 32:48 and the bronze medal going to swimmer Jolandi Els in 32:56.

Swimmer Niel de Villiers proved a tough and worthy competitor in the men’s 100m backstroke as he raced to victory winning his first gold medal in 53:76. Making his comeback was Olympian and Seagulls swimmer Charl Crous to win a silver medal in 53:99 and third place going to Coenraad Swart in a time of 56:03. The women’s 100m backstroke was closely contested between swimmers Amy Peens and Janneke Malan who both gave each other great competition but it was the Tuks swimmer Amy Peens that claimed her gold medal win in a time of 1:03:50 with Janneke taking the silver medal in 1:03:53.

In the men’s 50m butterfly it was Tuks swimmer Nico Meyer who led the race from start to finish to win his first gold medal at the SA Short Course swimming championships in a time of 24:17. The silver medal went to Reynard Wessels in a time of 24:58 and swimmer Wesley Morris taking the bronze medal in 25:10.

In the men’s 50m freestyle (S4 Class) disability event swimmer Quintin Harris was the star athlete as he swam to a new SA Short Course Record in a time of 1:05:71 to win a gold medal and also adding a silver medal to his medal tally in the men’s 50m S1 –S13 disability event.

In the women’s 100m freestyle final the top three qualifiers for tomorrow evening were led by Players swimmer Lehesta Kemp as she swam an impressive time of 56:15 with Erin Gallagher swimming a time of 57:99 and Marcee Loubser in 58:32. The men’s top three finals qualifiers for this evening was Seagulls swimmer Luke Pendock in first place in a time of 49:48 joined by Nico Meyer in 49:61 with fellow team mate Douglas Erasmus swimming a time of 50:28. In the men’s 800m freestyle it was Westville Swimming Club’s Tristen Doyle to claim victory in a time of 8:20:81 in a comfortable fashion while swimmer Kyle Whittstock claimed a silver medal in the event. Josh Dannhauser from Seagulls clinched the bronze medal in 8:29:28.

Always an exciting the event the women’s 4X100m freestyle, It was Players Swimming Club to win the gold medal in a time of 3:56:53 with Seals taking the silver medal in 3:59:02 and the bronze medal going to Seagulls in 4:07:90. In the men’s 4X50m freestyle relay Seals swimming club took the third position to win a bronze medal in a time of 1:37:23. In second place it was the Seagulls swimmers to win a silver medal in a time of 1:34:49 and the victorious team claiming the gold medal was Tuks Swimming Club to an incredible finish in a time of 1:31:05.

Montreal, Monday, 19th August 2013 – The South African Swimming Team has made Mzansi proud at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada, bringing home a total of seven medals (gold, two silver, four bronze) and four African Records.

On the final day of the competition last night, Charl Bouwer was once again SA's shining star when he bagged his fourth medal, claiming another bronze in the S13 100m freestyle and breaking his own 2012 African Record by 0.56secs. Bouwer touched the wall in 52.41 behind Ihar Boki’s new World Record of 51.05 and silver medalist Iaroslav Denysenko in 51.96.

Kevin Paul managed a 7th place finish in the S10 50m freestyle with a time of 25.68. In the morning heats, Challis Wright and Craig Groenewald finished 9th and 12th in the S14 200m individual medley in 2:25.81 and 2:31.79 respectively.

On the ladies side, Yvonne Smith concluded the S14 200m individual medley in 12th place with a time of 2:46.53, Shireen Sapiro came in 11th in the S10 50m freestyle in 31.48 and Adri Visser was 10th in the S5 50m freestyle.

Montreal, Sunday, 18th August 2013 – Paralympian Charl Bouwer claimed his third medal and broke a new African Record on the second-last day of the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada last night (Saturday, 17th August 2013).

There was no stopping Bouwer when he sped to the bronze medal in the S13 100m backstroke race, breaking his own 2011 African Record by 0.50secs, clocking 59.52. The gold went to Belarus’ Ihar Boki in 56.99 and the silver to Ukraine’s Iaroslav Denysenko in 59.43.

Bouwer’s last event of the competition will be the S13 100m freestyle tonight.

In the S10 100m backstroke, Shireen Sapiro finished 5th with a time of 1:11.67. Sapiro will be racing the S10 50m freestyle tonight.

The final day of the IPC Swimming World Championships will feature Craig Groenewald, Challis Wright and Yvonne Smith in the S14 200m individual medley, Kevin Paul in the S10 50m freestyle as well as Adri Visser in the S5 50m freestyle.

Montreal, Saturday, 17th August 2013 – Charl Bouwer won his second medal in as many days, brining SA’s tally to five (gold, two silver and two bronze) on the fifth day of the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada last night (Friday, 16th August 2013).

Bouwer grabbed the bronze medal in a very fast S13 400m freestyle where the gold and a new world record went to Belarus’s Ihar Boki in 3:55.56. The South African finished third in 4:13.71, while the silver was claimed by Ukraine’s Iaroslav Denysenko in 3:56.69.

In this evening’s finals, Bouwer will be seen in the S13 100m backstroke race.

Hendrik van der Merwe made his way to the SB5 100m breaststroke finals and ended the event in 7th position, clocking 1:45.02.

In the morning heats, Craig Groenewald and Challis Wright finished 12th and 13th in the SB14 100m breaststroke in 1:15.39 and 1:15.83, respectively.

On the ladies side, Shireen Sapiro will race the S10 100m backstroke in tonight’s second-last day of competition.

Montreal, Thursday, 15th August 2013 – The South African swimming team continued to shine, adding gold and another African Record to their tally, on the third day of the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada last night (Wednesday, 14th August 2013).

Kevin Paul’s golden time of 1:05.85 saw him claim the top spot in the SB9 100m breaststroke race, over a second ahead of his competitors. The silver medal went to China’s Lin Furong in 1:07.68, with the bronze going to Russia’s Pavel Poltavtsev in 1:08.39.

Beth Nothling took 0.34secs off her own 2010 African Record in the S5 50m backstroke event when she concluded the race in 6th place with a time of 52.22.

In the S11 400m freestyle, Hendri Herbst came in 5th with a time of 5:11.39. He will be swimming in the S11 100m freestyle final tonight.

It will be an exciting fourth day of the IPC Swimming World Championships tonight, with Paralympians Kevin Paul racing the S10 200m individual medley and Charl Bouwer the S13 50m freestyle.

Montreal, Wednesday, 14th August 2013 – Paralympian Hendri Herbst scooped SA’s first medal, while Adri Visser broke a new Africa Record at the IPC Swimming World Championships taking place at the Parc Jean-Drapeau Swimming Pool in Montreal, Canada.

Flying the South African flag high, Herbst was fast off the block to claim the bronze medal in the S11 50m freestyle, clocking 27.47. The gold in the race went to Japan’s Keiichi Kimura in 26.82 and the silver to Russia’s Alexander Chekurov in 27.33, during the second day of competition last night (Tuesday, 13th August).

Herbst also finished 5th in S11 100m backstroke with a time of 1:16.94 in the finals on the previous evening.

Visser broke her own 2010 record of 58.56 in the S5 50m butterfly event when she finished 9th at the opening day heats session on Monday, 12th August. Her new record time stands at a fast 58.20. In Tuesday’s finals, Visser managed an 8th place finish in the S5 200m freestyle in 3:51.42.

In Monday’s finals session, Paralympian Kevin Paul took 8th place in the S10 100m freestyle in 55.89. In the remaining results from the first day’s heats session, Achmat Hassiem finished 13th in the S10 100m freestyle in 57.81, while Craig Groenewald and Challis Wright ended in 11th and 15th place in the S14 200m freestyle with a time of 2:07.28 and 2:08.54 respectively.

On the ladies side, Shireen Sapiro concluded the S10 100m freestyle in 10th position, clocking 1:07.98 and Yvonne Smith came in 12th in 2:23.87 in the S14 200m freestyle.

The third day of the IPC Swimming World Championships tonight will see Beth Nothling take to the water in the 50m backstroke S5 category.

Its objective is to encourage the practice of aquatic disciplines for all in South Africa with the purpose of promoting swimming as a life skill through Learn To Swim programmes; providing healthy exercise to South Africans of all ages and races; recruiting recreational swimmers to compete in the various competitions; and promoting competition and athlete development to the highest level.

Barcelona, Sunday, 4th August 2013 – The South African swimming team concluded the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona tonight with a total of five medals (three gold, a silver and a bronze).

Bettering their tally by two medals from the competition in 2011, Chad le Clos won a phenomenal double gold in both the 100 and 200m butterfly events, while Cameron van der Burgh also claimed two medals, a silver in the 100m breaststroke and gold in the 50m breaststroke.

The bronze medal for Mzansi came by way of Giulio Zorzi, who finished behind Van der Burgh in the 50m breaststroke.

On the final day of competition tonight, Michael Meyer finished 17th in 4:21.17 and Rene Warnes in 22nd with a time of 4:48.11 in their respective 400m individual medley events.

The 4 x 100m medley relay team of Cameron van der Burgh, Darren Murray, Chad le Clos and Leith Shankland ended 11th in the morning heats, clocking 3:36.22, while the ladies quartet of Jessica Ashley Cooper, Tara Nicholas, Marne Erasmus and Karin Prinsloo also finished 11th with a time of 4:06.46.

“It has been quite hard coming from the Olympic Games and build up again for the World Championships. This is the case for all participating teams, which is evident by some of the upsets at this meet. We are on track though for the 2016 Olympic Games which is our main target competition.” said Graham Hill, Swimming SA National Head Coach.

The Chief Executive Officer of Swimming SA, Shaun Adriaanse said: “We are happy with the performance of the team. As expected, we saw excellent performances from Chad and Cameron and a surprise performance from Giulio.

“This will help to maintain our momentum towards 2016 and hopefully we will see improvement from the swimmers who participated and learned from the 2013 FINA World Championships, as part of the 2016 campaign.” concluded Mr Adriaanse.

There will be no rest for the South African swimming team as they head straight to the FINA World Cup Series which begins in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on 7 and 8th August and Berlin, Germany, on 10 and 11th August 2013.

Second gold for Chad le Clos on the seventh day of the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona

Barcelona, Saturday, 3rd August 2013 – Another proudly South African moment for Chad le Clos as he produced a second gold winning performance on the seventh day of the FINA World Championships in Barcelona tonight (Saturday, 3rd August 2013).

Coming from behind for a sensational finish, Le Clos scooped the 100m butterfly world title in a new personal best time of 51.06. Laszlo Cseh from Hungary took the silver in 51.45 and Poland’s Konrad Czerniak the bronze in 51.46.

In the fast 50m freestyle final, Roland Schoeman managed a 7th place finish, clocking 21.85, with the gold in that race going to Brazil’s Cesar Cielo in 21.32.

Gerhard Zandberg concluded the 50m backstroke semi-finals in an overall 13th position with a time of 25.24.

In the morning heats session, Trudi Maree came 32nd in the 50m freestyle in 26.02, while Tara Nicholas finished 45th in the 50m breaststroke in 33.04 and Myles Brown ended 17th in the 1500m freestyle with a time of 15:14.51.

The final day of the FINA World Championships will take place tomorrow with Michael Meyer and Rene Warnes swimming the 400m individual medley.

Schoeman and Le Clos shine on the sixth day of the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona

Barcelona, Friday, 2nd August 2013 – SA swim stars Roland Schoeman and Chad le Clos shine in their respective semi-finals on the sixth day of the FINA World Championships at the Palau Sant Jordi Swimming Pool in Barcelona tonight (Friday, 2nd August 2013).

Qualifying for tomorrow evening’s final in the 50m freestyle, Schoeman swam to his own 2008 African Record time of 21.67 to conclude the semi-finals in 7th place.

Le Clos was fast off the block in the 100m butterfly semi-finals, grabbing the second place with a time of 51.52, just 0.04 secs behind USA’s Ryan Lochte. The final for the event will be held tomorrow.

Karin Prinsloo’s time of 2:10.04 saw her finish in an overall 10th position in the 200m backstroke semi-finals.

In other results, Trudi Maree finished 32nd in the 50m butterfly morning heats session with a time of 27.40, while Kyna Pereira ended 28th in the 800m freestyle, clocking 8:54.10.

Tomorrow’s second last day of competition will see Gerhard Zandberg swim the 50m backstroke, Myles Brown the 1500m freestyle, Tara Nicholas the 50m breaststroke and Trudi Maree the 50m freestyle.

Day 05 of the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona

Barcelona, Thursday, 1st August 2013 – It was a quiet day for the South African Swimming Team during tonight’s fifth evening session of the FINA World Championships in Barcelona (Thursday, 1st August 2013).

Karin Prinsloo was just 0.03secs short from breaking her own African Record in the 100m freestyle semi-final, when she finished the race in 14th place with a time of 55.00. Prinsloo will be back in the water tomorrow, swimming the 200m backstroke.

In the 200m backstroke semi-final, Darren Murray ended in 16th place, clocking 2:02.12.

“We are quite happy with today’s performances, considering that both Karin and Darren have now progressed for the second time to the semi-final stages of their events. Karin's performance was particularly good as she just missed her African record.” said Shaun Adriaanse, Swimming SA CEO.

Earlier on in the morning heats session, 17 year old Tara Nicholas concluded the 200m breaststroke race in 31st place with a time of 2:34.41.

Tomorrow’s programme will include Olympians Roland Schoeman in the 50m freestyle and Chad le Clos in the 100m butterfly as well as Trudi Maree in the 50m butterfly and Kyna Perreira in the 800m freestyle.

Three medals for the SA Swimming Team on the fourth day of the 15th FINA World Championships

Barcelona, Wednesday, 31st July 2013 – The South African swimming team sizzled on the fourth day of the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, winning three medals (two gold and a bronze) last night, Wednesday, 31st July 2013.

In the 50m breaststroke, it was a fight to the finish between Olympian Cameron van der Burgh and Australia’s Christian Sprenger.

Van der Burgh edged out the Australian, winning the race in a phenomenal 26.77 to Sprenger’s 26.78, a time difference of only 0.01secs, while Giulio Zorzi was on top of the world when he grabbed SA’s first bronze medal, clocking 27.04.

Chad le Clos struck gold in his favorite 200m butterfly, walking away with the title in 1:54.32 ahead of Poland’s Pawel Korzeniowski in 1:55.01 and China’s Wu Peng in 1:55.09.

The Olympic gold medalist will be in action once again this Friday, 2nd August, in the 100m butterfly.

During the morning heats, Michael Meyer finished 26th in the 200m individual medley in 2:01.96, while in the 50m backstroke, Jessica Ashley Cooper was tied in 25th place with a time of 29.08.

Darren Murray, Tara Nicholas and Karin Prinsloo will be hitting the water in Thursday’s fifth day of the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, racing in the 100m backstroke, 200m breaststroke and 100m freestyle respectively.

Le Clos and Van der Burgh shine on the third day of the 15th FINA World Championships

Barcelona, Tuesday, 30th July 2013 – The third day of the FINA World Championships concluded on a high note for the South African swimming team as Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos topped their respective semi-finals in Barcelona tonight (Tuesday, 30th July 2013).

Van der Burgh came very close to breaking his own World Record in the 50m breaststroke of 26.67, when he sped to the finish in a time of 26.81 ahead of Slovenia’s Damir Dugonjic in 26.83 and Brazil’s Junior Gomes in 27.05.

SA’s Giulio Zorzi also qualified for tomorrow evening’s 50m bre

In the 200m butterfly semi-final, KwaZulu-Natal’s Le Clos clocked a fast time of 1:55.33. The second and third places went to China’s Wu Peng and Poland’s Pawel Korzeniowski in 1:55.42 and 1:55.67 respectively.

In the morning heats, Myles Brown finished 16th in the 800m freestyle, clocking 7:57.69, while Karin Prinsloo ended in 19th place in the 200m freestyle in 1:59.15. Day four of the FINA Championships will see Jessica Ashleigh Cooper, Leith Shankland and Michael Meyer swim their first races in the 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley respectively.