TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG – CAPE Town and Johannesburg have produced a thrilling final day of the South African Level 2 Regional Age Group Swimming Championships.
Port Elizabeth’s Dennis de Villiers (11) once again showed his spectacular form, winning the 50m freestyle in 30.13, the 200m breaststroke in 3:08.40, the 200m backstroke in 2:34.68 and the 50m butterfly in 32.64, bringing his tally to twelve gold medals at the end of the competition in Cape Town.
Wihan Gaybba (12), Dirco Nienaber (13), Dehann Theron (14), Rianco Vermeulen (15) and Tiaan Kellerman (17) won their respective 50m freestyle races in 29.01, 27.74, 27.80, 27.08 and 25.42.
Ending on a high note with a second gold medal in the 50m butterfly were Gaybba ,Nienaber and Theron, who clocked 32.01, 28.99 and 29.79 respectively, while Kellerman took the silver in 27.75.
PE’s Connor Nel (12) won the 200m backstroke title in 2:45.08 and also went on to win the silver in the 50m freestyle in 30.36 and the bronze in the 50m butterfly in 34.02.
In the hotly contested ladies 50m butterfly race, Catherine Eland (11) , Hannah Szapira (12), Michaela de Villiers (13), Anneke Strangfeld (14), Robyn Marais (15) and Amber Manchest (16) swam to the gold in their age group categories in 32.87, 33.68, 32.69, 32.39, 33.08 and 30.73 respectively.
Eland was also victorious in the 50m freestyle in 29.98, while Manchest claimed the bronze in her freestyle event in 30.09.
At the Ellis Park Swimming Pool in Johannesburg, the rising star of the competition was Namibia’s Mikah Burger (11), who concluded the event with an additional two gold medals in the 50m freestyle in 29.02 and the 200m
breaststroke in 3:01.59, as well as a silver medal in the 50m butterfly in
31.69.
In the remaining 50m freestyle, the gold medalists were Adrian Caldwell (12) in 28.75, Lebone Taukobong (13) in 28.05, Jacques Malan (14) in 26.79, Neill Jordaan (15) in 25.84 and Brandon Pillay (17) in 25.31.
Johannesburg’s Taukobong also claimed the gold in the 50m butterfly, clocking 29.57, while Tshwane’s Malan and Pillay took the first position in their respective butterfly races in 28.56 and 26.97 respectively.
On the ladies side, 11 year old Hanna Robertson from Johannesburg was quick off the block to win the 50m freestyle in 29.72 as well as the 200m backstroke in 2:43.39, while Tshwane’s Veronique Rossouw won the 50m butterfly title in 31.34 and later claimed silver in the 50m freestyle in 29.98.
Zimbabwe’s Maryke Koen (14) won double on the night, touching the wall with a time of 30.81 in the 50m butterfly and 29.15 in the 50m freestyle, while Pemba Elliot (12) walked away with the gold in the 200m backstroke in 2:39.32 and the silver in the 50m butterfly in 33.04.
