Publications
Partners
Marizanne Kok
Johannesburg – Four world records, 19 Africa records and 19 gold medals inside just eight days is a success story that would have any other sporting code in South Africa green with envy.
The landscape of South African swimming is covered in gold and dollar notes after 12 of its best swimmers performed exceptionally well over the short courses in Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin.
After a good start in the World Cup short course series in Durban, where 115 South African swimmers won 46 medals, the swimmers touched on even greater heights in Europe and Scandinavia.
In the three meetings in Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin, which all took place inside just over a week, they also won 16 silver and 13 bronze medals over and above the 19 golds.
Of the 12 swimmers only two did not win gold medals and only two failed to improve African records.
Word champions, European champions and world record holders are all among the swimmers that lost against the South Africans, with big names such as Michael Phelps, Felipe Silva, Stefan Nystrand and Steffen Deibler among them.
This is how the South Africans fared:
In the two days in Moscow, South Africa won seven gold medals and six silver medals.
George Du Rand added his name to the country’s distinguished list of world record holders with the performance of his life in the 200m breaststroke, while Darian Townsend, Lyndon Ferns and Chanelle van Wyk set African records.
Nine African records were set in Stockholm three days later, with a harvest of six gold and five silver medals.
In the meeting last Saturday in Berlin, which is the highlight of the series, Cameron van der Burgh and Darian Townsend set three world records and bettered another seven African records.
The South Africans won six gold medals.
In the four World Cup meetings to date, the South Africans won 32 gold medals. It is only six less than the 38 that the country won in the eight meetings in 2004-05, and three less than the 35 in seven meetings in 2007.
And, as if all the records and medals are not enough, a South African may on Sunday be crowned as swimmer of the series after the last meeting in Singapore.
It would be the fourth time that a South African has won the award.
Ryk Neethling did it in 2005 and 2006, and Van der Burgh last year.
Van der Burgh is in the inside track to do it again this year, while Roland Schoeman still has an outside chance.
Schoeman is trailing Van der Burgh by 50 points and will have to do something remarkable to haul him in. He will have to at least break a world record in Singapore and hope that Van der Burgh fails to win a medal in the last meeting.
That however is unlikely – Van der Burgh won seven gold medals over the past four weeks and set two world records. He was the swimmer of the meeting in Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin.
Schoeman also deserves a pat on the back. He reached the finals of the 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly in all four meetings and he pocketed five gold medals, six silvers and a bronze.
On Saturday he also broke the world record in the 50m butterfly by 0.19 seconds, even though he finished second.
Johannesburg – Four world records, 19 Africa records and 19 gold medals inside just eight days is a success story that would have any other sporting code in South Africa green with envy.
The landscape of South African swimming is covered in gold and dollar notes after 12 of its best swimmers performed exceptionally well over the short courses in Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin.
After a good start in the World Cup short course series in Durban, where 115 South African swimmers won 46 medals, the swimmers touched on even greater heights in Europe and Scandinavia.
In the three meetings in Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin, which all took place inside just over a week, they also won 16 silver and 13 bronze medals over and above the 19 golds.
Of the 12 swimmers only two did not win gold medals and only two failed to improve African records.
Word champions, European champions and world record holders are all among the swimmers that lost against the South Africans, with big names such as Michael Phelps, Felipe Silva, Stefan Nystrand and Steffen Deibler among them.
This is how the South Africans fared:
In the two days in Moscow, South Africa won seven gold medals and six silver medals.
George Du Rand added his name to the country’s distinguished list of world record holders with the performance of his life in the 200m breaststroke, while Darian Townsend, Lyndon Ferns and Chanelle van Wyk set African records.
Nine African records were set in Stockholm three days later, with a harvest of six gold and five silver medals.
In the meeting last Saturday in Berlin, which is the highlight of the series, Cameron van der Burgh and Darian Townsend set three world records and bettered another seven African records.
The South Africans won six gold medals.
In the four World Cup meetings to date, the South Africans won 32 gold medals. It is only six less than the 38 that the country won in the eight meetings in 2004-05, and three less than the 35 in seven meetings in 2007.
And, as if all the records and medals are not enough, a South African may on Sunday be crowned as swimmer of the series after the last meeting in Singapore.
It would be the fourth time that a South African has won the award.
Ryk Neethling did it in 2005 and 2006, and Van der Burgh last year.
Van der Burgh is in the inside track to do it again this year, while Roland Schoeman still has an outside chance.
Schoeman is trailing Van der Burgh by 50 points and will have to do something remarkable to haul him in. He will have to at least break a world record in Singapore and hope that Van der Burgh fails to win a medal in the last meeting.
That however is unlikely – Van der Burgh won seven gold medals over the past four weeks and set two world records. He was the swimmer of the meeting in Moscow, Stockholm and Berlin.
Schoeman also deserves a pat on the back. He reached the finals of the 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly in all four meetings and he pocketed five gold medals, six silvers and a bronze.
On Saturday he also broke the world record in the 50m butterfly by 0.19 seconds, even though he finished second.
