SWIMMING NEWS - South Africa’s top swimming talent celebrated the Day of Reconciliation in true Mzansi style with a total of four Commonwealth Games qualification times during the opening day of the KZN Aquatics Premier Championships at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre on Saturday.
First in the water and first to achieve a Commonwealth Games qualification time was 22 year old Calvyn Justus, with a golden 55.57 to the required 55.95, while the silver was claimed by Jacques van Wyk in 56.44 and the bronze by Martin Binedell in 57.01.
The excitement continued as Ayrton Sweeney also added his name to the Commonwealth Games qualification list in the 200m breaststroke, just under five seconds ahead of the competition in 2:11.64 to Luan Grobbelaar’s 2:16.83 and Bailey Musgrave’s 2:17.10.
A quick start earned Erin Gallagher the gold medal and her first Commonwealth Games qualification time in the 100m butterfly, touching the wall in 58.93, to the 1:00.53 requirement, followed by Dune Coetzee (1:01.15) in second and Chloe Horne (1:03.94) in third.
Brent Szurdoki was on top of the world in the final of the 400m freestyle, posting a Commonwealth Games qualification time of 3:53.24 and overtaking Jacques Janse van Rensburg and Eben Vorster in the process, who finished second and third in 3:57.47 and 3:58.75, respectively.
In other results, Tatjana Schoenmaker was happy with her 50m breaststroke win in 31.44, while Kaylene Corbett was second in 32.36 and Hanim Abrahams third in 32.56, while the 400m individual medley first place went to Jessica Whelan in 4:55.25, followed by Marlies Ross in 4:55.32 and Samantha Randle in 4:56.81.
