Durban - Pietermaritzburg Seals (KZN) star Darian Townsend raced to three world championship 'A' level qualifying performances that included a gold medal at the Telkom SA National Aquatics Championships at the Kings Park pool in Durban on Friday night.

Townsend, 24, who will be remembered for his role as part of SA’s triumphant 4x100m freestyle relay team at the Athens Olympics in 2004, clocked 52.14 seconds in the 100 metres butterfly to win his first title at the championships.

He followed this up with a fast 48.79 in the 100 metres freestyle semi-final next to world champion Roland Schoeman TUKS (NTS) who posted the fastest time for Saturday's final in 48.61 – both within the world championship qualifying time. The early semi-final saw the dynamic Lyndon Ferns clock 48.70 to set the stage for a pulsating final on Saturday evening.

Townsend then took to the water in the 200 metres individual medley semi-final with very little rest and raced to an outstanding 1:58.33 – the second fastest time in the world so far this year.

The semi-final prior to the Seals star produced another encouraging swim that saw Kings Park ace, Riaan Schoeman produce his first world championship time in 1:59.94.

“I believe that I get more out of racing than I do out of training so I hope that the SA team will be able to compete in many galas in Europe in the build up to the World Championships,” said Townsend. “We need to have a good international calibre preparation for Rome, and this will also give us the opportunity of building team spirit which is absolutely vital.”

If Townsend was on song in the swimming pool, so too was Mr. Price Seagulls (KZN) Charl van Zyl who had the crowd cheering loudly as his 50m backstroke time of 25.71 saw him finish second to world champion Gerhard Zandberg from Diadora (NTS) who clocked 25.42.

The dash for gold in the 200m breaststroke final saw another Seals Olympian, Neil Versfeld race to victory and secure his world championship spot with a sound 2:10.13 – just 0.07 outside his own national mark. Arch-rival William Diering from TUKS (NTS), was unable to hold the pace and settled for second but also within the QT for Rome.

Kathryn Meaklim, Kings Park, (KZN) added her name to the Rome qualifiers with a solid 2:14.44 in the 200m individual medley semi-final after winning the 200m breaststroke where she just missed the time.

Troyden Prinsloo, Pietermaritzburg Seals (KZN) swam superbly in setting a SA record of 7:54.99 in the 800 metres freestyle, bettering his old national best of 7:56.82, but failed to dip under the world championship 'A' standard qualifying mark of 7:52.92. He will have another opportunity in the 1 500m freestyle over the weekend.

The morning heats begin at 09:30 with the evening sessions at 18:00 on Saturday and Sunday.

RESULTS

MEN

100m butterfly, final:
1 Darian Townsend (KZN) 52.14 (AWCQT)
2 Sebastien Rousseau (WP) 53.22
3 Neil Watson (CG) 53.36

200m breaststroke, final:
1 Neil Versfeld (KZN) 2:10.13 (AWCQT)
2 William Diering (NT) 2:11.50 (AWCQT)
3 Kyle Duckitt (CG) 2:16.38

50m backstroke, final:
1 Gerhard Zandberg (NT) 25.42 (AWCQT
2 Charl van Zyl (KZN) 25.71 (AWCQT)
3 Ricky Ellis (CG) 25.89

800m freestyle, final:
1 Troyden Prinsloo (KZN) 7:54.99
2 Herman Heerden (WP) 7:52.92
3 Chad Ho (KZN) 8:13.85

100m freestyle, finalists:
1 Roland Schoeman (NT) 48.61 (AWCQT)
2 Lyndon Ferns (NT) 48.70 (AWCQT)
3 Darian Townsend (KZN) 48.79 (AWCQT)

200m individual medley, finalists:
1 Darian Townsend (KZN) 1:58.33 (AWCQT)
2 Riaan Schoeman (KZN) 1:59.94 (AWCQT)
3 Chad le Clos (KZN) 2:01.83

Multi-disability 100m butterfly:
1 Craig Groenewald (CG, S14) 1:02.65
2 Achmat Hassiem (WP, S10) 1:02.42
3 Sherwin Afrikaner (WP, S14) 1:09.23

WOMEN

100m butterfly, final:
1 Chanelle van Wyk (WP) 59.54
2 Mandy Loots (CG) 59.83
3Vanessa Mohr (NT) 1:02.49

200m breaststroke, final:
1 Kathryn Meaklim (KZN) 2:29.47
2 Jessica Pengelly (WP) 2:29.62
3 Jessica Liss (EP) 2:32.51

50m backstroke, final:
1 Chanelle van Wyk (KZN) 28.73
2 Karin Prinsloo (NT) 29.23
3 Mandy Loots (CG) 29.58

200m freestyle, final:
1 Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 1:59.49 (AWCQT)
2 Leone Vorster (NT) 1:59.88
3 Christy Lategan (WP) 2:03.86

200m individual medley, finalists:
1 Kathryn Meaklim (KZN) 2:14.44 (AWCQT)
2 Christy Coventry (ZIM) 2:15.00 (AWCQT)

Multi-disability 100m butterfly:
1 Shireen Sapiro (CG, S10) 1:16.55
2 Adri Visser (CG, S5) 2:23.06
3 Dot Smit (SWD, S14)