Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists will take to the water for this year’s national short-course championships in Durban between 9-12 August.
The Kings Park Aquatics Centre is the venue for all the action, after which a national team will be chosen to compete at the 14th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in China from 11-16 December.
Olympians Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh will return to the water, with Le Clos taking on the 50, 100 and 200m butterfly as well as the 100 and 200m freestyle, while Van der Burgh will battle it out in the 50 and 100m breaststroke.
Straight from an impressive performance at the Mare Nostrum Series, Rebecca Meder will be looking for more fast times as she competes in the 100 and 800m freestyle, as well as the 100, 200 and 400m individual medley, while Erin Gallagher – the youngest SA competitor at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland – will swim in the 50, 100 and 200m freestyle, the 50 and 100m butterfly and the 50m backstroke.
Breaststroke specialist Tatjana Schoenmaker will take to the water in the 50, 100 and 200m and test her speed in the 100 and 200m individual medley and the 50 and 100m freestyle, while 18-year-old Mariella Venter swims the 100 and 200m backstroke, as well as the 100 and 200m individual medley.
Heats will start at 9am while finals will begin at 5pm daily.
The staging of these championships has been made possible through the support provided by Swimming SA partners, Sport and Recreation South Africa, SASCOC, Arena, Rand Water and the National Lotteries Commission.
FINA World Championships A Qualifying Times (25m)
Event – Men – Women
50m freestyle – 51.71 seconds — 24.60
100m freestyl – 47.78 — 53.78
200m freestyle – 1:45:02 — 1:56.52
400m freestyle – 3:44.09 — 4:07.29
800m freestyle – N/A — 8:35.69
1500m freestyle – 14min 49.29sec — NA
50m backstroke – 23.98 — 27.01
100m backstroke – 51.61 — 58.08
200m backstroke – 1:53.35 — 2:07.19
100m breaststroke – 58.18 — 1:06.18
200m breaststroke – 2:06.83 — 2:24.60
50m butterfly – 23.22 — 26.26
100m butterfly – 51.56 — 58.28
200m butterfly – 1:54.84 — 2:09.76
100m Individual Medley – 53.57 — 1:01.21
200m Individual Medley – 1:56.69 — 2:12.46
400m Individual Medley – 4:10.27 — 4:43.43
Photo: Le Clos in Commonwealth Games swimming action earlier this year, by Wessel Oosthuizen/SASPA