Rebecca Meder remained the standout South African swimmer at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships (25m short-course) after Friday’s fourth day of competition in Budapest. The 22-year-old Meder has broken the African record four times and the South African record twice. She was involved in two finals on Friday night.
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.
Notable absentees from these short-course (25m pool) championships are men’s backstroker Pieter Coetze, who is focused on training for next year’s long-course (50m pool) world championships in Singapore and Kaylene Corbett, while Tatjana Smith has retired.
RESULTS
Mixed 4x50m freestyle (heats): Team SA (Chris Smith, Kris Mihaylov, Caitlin de Lange, Jessica Thompson) finished 3rd in their heat in 1:23.37. They did not progress to the final
Women’s 200m breaststroke (heats): Rebecca Meder finished 2nd in her heat in 2:18.79 and qualified 4th fastest for the evening final
Women’s 200m breaststroke (final): Rebecca Meder finished 5th in the final in 2:18.22
Men’s 200m breaststroke, (heats): Matthew Randle placed 9th in his heat in 50.63, which left him 25th overall and missing out on the evening final
Women’s 100m butterfly (heats): Jaime Mote finished 10th in her heat in 1:02.27 which left the 16-year-old 38th overall and missing out on a place in the final
Men’s 100m butterfly (heats): Defending champion Chad le Clos won his heat in 50.04. That time placed him 12th fastest heading into Friday evening’s semi-finals
Men’s 100m butterfly (semi-finals): Chad le Clos finished 4th in his semi-final in 49.41 and placed 11th fastest qualifier, missing out on the final
Men’s 100m butterfly (heats): Ruard van Renen finished 8th in his heat in 50.91 and slotted him in at 29th overall and missing out on the semi-finals
Women’s 1500m freestyle AFRICA RECORD! Stephanie Houtman produced a swim in 16:09.12 in her heat which placed her 3rd and was an Africa record. I positioned her at 19th on the overall list.
Women’s 100m medley (final): Rebecca Meder finished 6th in the final in 58.10 in a race where American Gretchen Walsh (55.11) broke the world record
AFRICA RECORDS
Rebecca Meder (women’s 100m medley, heats) 58.55
Rebecca Meder (women’s 100m medley, semi-finals) 57.69
Rebecca Meder (women’s 200m medley, semi-finals) 58.55
Rebecca Meder (women’s 200m medley, final) 2:05.61
Stephanie Houtman (women’s 1500m freestyle, heats) 16:09.12
Mixed 4x50m medley: Team SA (Jessica Thompson, Michael Houlie, Caitlin de Lange and Kris Mihaylov) 1:41.32
SOUTH AFRICAN RECORDS
Rebecca Meder (women’s 200m medley, heats) 2:06.15
Rebecca Meder (women’s 200m medley, final) 2:05.61
Compiled by Gary Lemke
Archive photo of Rebecca Meder by Roger Sedres