SWIMMING NEWS - Tatjana Schoenmaker claimed her second qualification time, while Christian Sadie posted his fourth IPC World Championships qualification time during the fourth day of the SA National Aquatic Championships in Durban on Thursday.
There was plenty of action in the 100m breaststroke as Schoenmaker clocked her second Fina qualification time of the competition in 1:06.83, just under a second from the required 1:07.43, while Kaylene Corbett and Rebecca Meder ended second and third in 1:09.03 and 1:10.06, respectively.
Dune Coetzee raced to the 400m freestyle title in a fast 4:14.27, over eight seconds ahead of Christin Mundell in 4:22.83 and Kiara Noades in 4:27.27, while on the men’s side, it was Brent Szurdoki that grabbed the gold medal in 3:51.96, followed by Botswana’s James Freeman in 3:53.18 and Josh Dannhauser in 3:53.30.
Christopher Reid was only 0.17secs short of a Fina qualification time in the 100m backstroke when he touched the wall in a golden 54.23 ahead of Zane Waddell in 54.60 and Martin Binedell in 56.08, while Mariella Venter walked away with the gold medal in the women’s race in 1:01.87 ahead of Nathania van Niekerk in 1:02.10 and Olivia Nel in 1:03.63.
In the 100m breaststroke, the gold medal was claimed by Michael Houlie in 1:00.44 to Alaric Basson’s 1:02.15 and Brenden Crawford’s 1:02.64.
KZN’s Abi and Rebecca Meder, Erin Gallagher and Kristin Bellingan won the 4x200m freestyle relay in 8:26.80 ahead of the Western Cape’s Aimee Canny, Georgia Nel, Trinity Hearne and Carli Antonopoulos in 8:30.01 and Tshwane’s Kiara Noades, Janie Coetzer, Stephanie Houtman and Lindsay McLeod in 8:40.04. The men’s relay gold medals went to KZN’s Dannhauser, Matthew Bosch, Dayne Odendaal and Josh Stegen in 7:32.25.
