SA wind up World Champs to end with two medals

Updated: July 31, 2017

By Mark Etheridge

Rather like it started, South Africa’s Fina World Championships came to an end in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday with no further medals, the team ending 14th on the medals table.

Those medals belong to Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh, who won gold and bronze respectively in the 200-metre butterfly and 50m breaststroke events.

The United States topped the medals table with 46 medals, with China (30) and Russia (25).

Both were in final-day action as the men’s 4x100m relay team did duty.

The two partnered with Martin Binedell and Myles Brown and swam 3:36.31 to end eighth in their heat. That saw them ranked 15th after the heats, and not quick enough to go through to the final, won by the United States in 3:27.91.

The SA women’s medley team were also in action.

Samantha Randle, Kaylene Corbett, Erin Gallagher and Emma Chelius combined for a heats time of 4:15.47 and did not go through to the final, also won by the United States in 3:51.55.

Ayrton Sweeney was the only SA swimmer on individual duty on the final day, swimming the 400m individual medley.

He ended third in his heat with a time of 4:20.10 and failed to go through, ranking 20th quickest of the heats.

American Chase Kalisz was quickest qualifier with a 4:09.79 and went on to get gold in 4:05.90.

Apart from Le Clos and Van der Burgh, no swimmer made a final in the pool, but diver Julia Vincent brought some joy by making the final of the women’s 3m springboard competition.

In the open water competition Michelle Weber’s seventh spot in the 5km was best by a South African. The water polo sides were always going to be up against it, and both ended in last place.

With the two medals being South Africa’s lowest medal tally since 2003, when they won only one medal, there’s clearly work to be done after having won five medals at each of the last two world championships.

Pictures of Binedell and Randle in final day action courtesy of Roger Sedres/ImageSA

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