At every Commonwealth Games there’s been a South African breakout swimmer who goes on to further announce their “arrival” on the biggest stage of all – the Olympics. The likes of Penny Heyns, Chad le Clos, Cameron van der Burgh and Tatjana Smith all sprung to prominence at a Commonwealth Games before two years later going on to win Olympic gold.
These 2026 Games, in Glasgow, represent the “halfway point” in the four-year Olympic cycle. Like the USA has mid-term elections which gives a good idea of how their President is faring, the Commonwealth Games are a pointer to the next Olympics when it comes to emerging talent.
Ruard van Renen has been Team SA’s breakthrough swimmer at Glasgow 2026, although for him he has the 1.97m figure of Pieter Coetze blocking his backstroke path to the gold medal. However, the pair shared the 50m podium here and then doubled up by doing so in the 100m. Which sets up the mouthwatering projection of seeing both Coetze and Van Renen singing the South African national anthem together at LA 2028 in not one, but two events.
Coetze (born in May 2004) and Van Renen (May 2003) are still only 22 and 23 and they’re only likely to get closer as competitors and friends as the next two years unfold. Van Renen is studying engineering at the University of Georgia, where he is coached by another South Africa, Neil Versfeld.
However, there’s another person who has played, and continues to, a huge role in the personal and swimming life of Van Renen, and that’s Keith Jansen, who is part of the Team SA coaching staff at Glasgow and one of the most dedicated and talented men in his field of expertise.
“Keith gave me the tools to become a leader and a great athlete, Neil gave me that platform to show everyone what we can do,” Van Renen said. “The biggest lesson that both of these men taught me is to find joy in the pain. It took me until I was 22 to understand it fully.”
Which is where Jansen takes up the story.
“I was head coach at Paul Roos when Ruard came into the system,” he says. we find a quieter spot in the bowels of the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. “I suppose you could call me a mentor to him,”Jansen, who is senior coach at Lane Leader Swimming Club in Stellenbosch, says. “Just before this year’s Nationals he was was considering giving up on swimming and ‘retiring’ if he couldn’t qualify for the Commonwealth Games. It was that close for him to concentrate solely on his studies in Georgia.
“But I’m so very pleased for him that he recently found his path with the Lord. He’s has a difficult road up to now and the fact that he’s managed to find his way has to be praised. He told me that when he walked out before the 50m final he is just trusting what the Lord has planned for him.” In fact, those watching closely would have seen Van Renen bend down on one knee and give silent prayer before climbing onto the blocks in lane five. He came within 0.03 seconds of converting silver to bronze, but his real time is coming.
I think the Lord has opened up a lot of doors for him. We been contacting each other llterally every week and checking in and it’s been an absolute blessing just being with him and seeing that he’s found the right path. He never stopped trying and now it’s starting to pay dividends.”
Jansen makes a good point about life outside of the pool. “It’s fantastic to know that the athletes that I work with can follow the journey of the bigger picture. It’s not always just about the medals,. You also have to coach the person and just working with Ruard as an individual and seeing him grow up, it’s so rewarding to see it start to come together.”
Van Renen has been referred to by those wanting to learn more about him as “that South Afrucans wimmer with the moustache”. Not too many swimmers have worn them, although Olympjc legends Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps have been able to pull it off. “For him it’s all to do with calmness,” says Jansen. “He reckons he swims backstroke his face is out the water. It’s become part of his new identity.” Co-incidentally, and Jansen assures that’s the only case, the coach also has an impressive ‘tache.
When I put to Jansen that the Commonwealth Games always produces a South African breakthrough swimmer, Jansen agrees that this year it’s Van Renen. “Absolutely, 100 percent. This is going to put him on a different level. He’ll go back to the US so motivated and so confident in himself. He will now know that he can deliver when thee pressure is on. That (50m) was his first major international final besides the World University Games, and being able to convert making the final and win a medal sets him up going forward.”
Jansen, who some have pigeon-holed into a Para-swim coach because of his success with the likes of Paralympian Christian Sadie, is a student of the sport and himself a huge asset to the overall South African swimming ranks. And he feels that Van Renen’s big moment in the 2028 Olympics could be in the 100m backstroke, despite him winning bronze here in both the splash and dash 50m in Glasgow and the 100m.
“The 100m suits him as he’s a bit of a bigger boy – Van Renen says he has put on ’10 to 15kg of muscle’ – and only recently the 50m has been coming together. What that does is it opens up a lot of opportunity in the 100m. That’s because his top-end speed is much faster and hopefully that will translate into faster 100m times.”
Will Jansen continue to mentor from afar? “Absolutely, it’s ongoing. I’ve been mentoring him since he left South African and I coach him when Neil can’t be around. We’re walking the path with him. We often sit around the table and have meals together as a family and invite his parents over we all break some bread together.”
Which augurs well for the future. While Coetze is all the talk in global swimming circles, and rightly so, there’s room on the podium for two others. And one of those is Ruard van Renen.
Photo: ANTON GEYSER/TeamSA