Nine more Youth Olympic qualifications came the way of South African swimmers as the SA national championships moved into day three at the Newton Park pool in Port Elizabeth.
And Team South Africa’s 2018 Commonwealth Games swimmers were at the forefront of the action.
Christin Mundell (16) and Mariella Venter (18) raced to their second qualification times in the 200m individual medley, winning gold and silver in 2min 18.31sec and 2:18.35 respectively, while Venter was not done for the night, as she grabbed another qualifying time in the semi-finals of the 50m backstroke in 29.73.
Mundell also added the 200m breaststroke to her ever-growing Youth Olympic qualification times tally when she won the semi-finals in pole position, clocking 2:31.62, while Michael Houlie’s semi-final time of 2:18.56 was just 0.46sec off the required 2:18.10. The final for both races will be held on Thursday.
In the men’s medley event, Luan Grobbelaar confirmed his Youth Olympics qualification time and scooped the bronze medal in 2:05.82, while Jarryd Baxter (pictured below) topped the medal podium in 2:00.85 ahead of Ayrton Sweeney in 2:02.18.
Bloemfontein’s Gawie Nortje (16) finished the 100m freestyle in second place with a qualification time of 51.12, just 0.28secs from the 51.40 standard and will be looking forward to confirming that time in Wednesday night’s final, while on the women’s side, Erin Gallagher was fastest in 56.01, followed by Emma Chelius in 57.00 and Aimee Canny in 57.36.
The 200m butterfly final saw Duné Coetzee’s first qualification time of the competition in a fast 2:14.73, over six seconds ahead of Trinity Hearne in 2:21.52, while Ethan du Preez and Ruan Breytenbach both managed a qualification time in the 200m butterfly semi-finals, touching the wall in 2:02.18 and 2:03.35 to the 2:05.73 requirement.
In the semi-finals of the 50m backstroke, Western Cape’s Henju Duvenhage pencilled his name on the Youth Olympics qualification list with a time of 26.44 behind Jacques van Wyk (25.89).
In the long distance 1500m freestyle, the medals went to Kate Beavon, Abi Meder and Samantha Randle in 17:01.11, 17:12.61 and 17:19.04 respectively, with the men’s honours going to Brent Szurdoki, James Freeman and Aryan Makhija in 15:42.46, 15:50.29 and 15:52.44, respectively.
In the multi-disability 50m butterfly, Shannon Martins (S9) came out on top in 39.44, while on the men’s side, Ethan Paulse (S14) bagged the gold in 28.82, while Franco Smit (S12) won his respective race in 27.89, followed by Commonwealth Games silver medalist Christian Sadie (S7) in 31.09.
Paulse also won the 50m freestyle in 27.05, while Paralympian Hendri Herbst (S11) claimed the gold medal in the S1-13 category in 27.35 ahead of Sadie in 30.20. Michaela Kretzen (S14) and Katelyn Marais (S9) won the women’s titles in 33.06 and 33.76, respectively.
The championships continue on Thursday with the heats session starting at 9:30am, while the finals will begin at 6:00pm 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 and Rand Water.
Photo: Mundell (main picture) and Baxter, by Clinton Begley/NMB Aquatics
A Qualifying Times – Youth Olympic Games
Day Three:
– Michael Houlie – 100m breaststroke – 1:02.57
– Christin Mundell – 100m breaststroke – 1:10.72
– Mundell – 200m individual medley – 2:18.31
– Mundell – 200m breaststroke – 2:31.62 (SF)
– Mariella Venter – 100m backstroke – 1:01.86
– Venter – 200m individual medley – 2:18.35
– Venter – 50m backstroke – 29.73 (SF)
– Henju Duvenhage – 50m backstroke – 26.44 (SF)
– Kate Beavon – 200m freestyle – 2:03.27
– Dune Coetzee – 200m butterfly – 2:14.73
– Ethan du Preez – 200m butterfly – 2:02.18 (SF)
– Ruan Breytenbach – 200m butterfly – 2:03.35 (SF)
– Riccardo di Domenico – 50m butterfly – 25.00 (SF)
– Luan Grobbelaar – 200m individual medley – 2:05.82
– Gawie Nortje – 100m freestyle – 51.12 (SF)
*SF – semi-final