South Africa are represented by a sizeable squad of 17 at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships, which start in Budapest on Tuesday. The championships are in the short-course 25m pool in the Hungarian capital.
In the last such championships held, in Melbourne in 2022, South Africa returned with five medals, three of which were gold. The gold medals were won by Chad le Clos (100m and 200m butterfly) and Matt Sates (200m individual medley), while Lara van Niekerk claimed silver in the women’s 50m breaststroke and Sates added to his tally with silver in the 400m IM.
Le Clos, now a 32-year-old veteran, but who has always claimed that if he reaches a final the youngsters had better bring their A-game, is back to defend his titles, but Sates is missing from the event. Van Niekerk returns to the pool at the highest level, having missed the Paris Olympics.
Other notable absentees are the brilliant men’s backstroker Pieter Coetze, who is focused on training for next year’s long-course (50m pool) world championships in Singapore. Kaylene Corbett is another Team SA Olympian missing from Budapest, while Tatjana Smith has retired.
Apart from the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay squads, there are seven Team SA swimmers in the pool on the opening day. They include Rebecca Meder who is competing in her third World Aquatics Swimming Championships, to go with two Olympic Games and one Commonwealth Games appearance, and she’s still only 22.
Meder is in 200m individual medley action on Tuesday, while Le Clos (in the 50m butterfly), Kris Mihaylov, Ruard van Renen, Hanna Robertson, Milla Drakopoulus and the exciting 17-year-old Jessica Thompson complete the South African representation on the first day.
Tuesday’s programme, with SA times in brackets, is. TBC = to be confirmed
TUESDAY, 10TH DEC
Men’s 1500m freestyle (heats, 10am): Kris Mihaylov
Men’s 100m backstroke (heats, 11.05am): Ruard van Renen
Men’s 100m backstroke (semi-finals, 7.34pm): Ruard van Renen TBC
Men’s 50m butterfly (heats, 11.39am): Chad le Clos
Men’s 50m butterfly (semi-finals, 6.52pm): Chad le Clos TBC
Men’s 4x100m freestyle (heats, 12.40pm)
Men’s 4x100m freestyle (final, 8.27pm) TBC
Women’s 400m freestyle (heats, 10.15am): Hannah Robertson
Women’s 400m freestyle (final, 6.32pm): Hannah Robertson TBC
Women’s 100m backstroke (heats, 10.47am): Milla Drakopoulus
Women’s 100m backstroke (semi-finals, 7.24pm): Milla Drakopoulus TBC
Women’s 50m butterfly (heats, 11.22am): Jessica Thompson
Women’s 50m butterfly (semi-finals, 6.43pm): Jessica Thompson TBC
Women’s 200m medley (heats, 11.56am): Rebecca Meder
Women’s 200m medley (final, 7.01pm): Rebecca Meder TBC
Women’s 4x100m freestyle (heats, 12.29pm)
Women’s 4x100m freestyle (final, 8.12pm) TBC
The SA squad is:
Men: Michael Houlie, Kian Keylock, Arno Kruger, Clad le Clos, Kris Mihaylov, Jaime Mote, Matthew Randle, Chris Smith, Ruard van Renen
Women: Caitlin de Lange, Milla Drakapoulos, Stephanie Houtman, Rebecca Meder, Hannah Pearse, Hannah Robertson, Jessica Thompson, Lara van Niekerk
Compiled by Gary Lemke
File photo of Rebecca Meder by Roger Sedres