Nathan Hendricks dug deep and struck gold for Team SA as the para-swimmer got the country’s medal tally rolling at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. And, as so often happens, one medal brings another one, and another and so it proved as both the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay teams earned bronze to make it three on the first day in the pool.
The Tollcross International Swimming Centre proved a happy hunting ground at the 2014 Games also held in Glasgow, and the signs are that there’s a lot more to come over the coming days.
Erin Gallagher leads a charge of three Team SA 50m butterfly finalists, along with Jessica Thompson and Caitlin de Lange, while Pieter Coetze and Ruard van Renen could well have the men’s 50m backstroke to themselves after dominating in the heats and semi-finals.
Coetze is 1.97m in height but he’s also becoming a backstroke giant at the age of 22. He picked up three backstroke medals – a gold, silver and bronze – at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, but few would bet against him achieving the full house 50m, 100m and 200m gold here in Glasgow.
He lowered the Commonwealth Games record to 24.45sec in the morning’s heats and then notched up the pace to touch the wall in 24.29 in the evening’s semi-finals. And, the general consensus is that the 50m is the weakest of the three backstroke distances.
Team SA also has two confirmed finalists in the men’s 100m breaststroke, where Michael Houlie and Chris Smith have outside medal chances, while the Mixed 4x100m freestyle could throw up a bronze medal.
“This is my first senior medal and I’m ecstatic,” said Hendricks, who led from start to finish in the visually-impaired S13 100m freestyle category. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity. This gold is a gift from me to those who have helped me along the way. I’m still in shock and it doesn’t feel real, but obviously I’m so happy.
“Now I’m going to knuckle down, I’ve still got the 50m to come, so hopefully I can get another one!”
It was a night of raw delight for the swimmers, with the women’s 4x100m freestyle quartet also getting in on the act with their bronze medal.
Gallagher was one of three changes from the morning line-up that had reached the final and she played her part in the success. Her relay swim came shortly after her 50m butterfly semi-final win. “Luckily the programme was running behind schedule, so it gave me more time to recover. It was a proper team effort and so great to race with my besties.”
Olivia Nel carried the team from fourth into the medals with a blistering final leg and admitted afterwards that she had “felt the pressure. I had the conversation with the coaches before the race and they said that I was swimming the last leg for a reason. So, I tried to stay calm and focus on myself and noit worry about those around me. It really was a team effort.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Team SA