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Van Biljon stars in Durban

Durban - South Africa’s Suzaan van Biljon is proving to be one of the stars of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup at the Kings Park Aquatic Centre in Durban.

On the first night of competition Van Biljon won the 100 metres breaststroke for women in a time of 1min 08.17secs, over a second clear of the second placed swimmer.

Van Biljon, the current South African swimmer of the year, then proved her class by winning her morning heats, on the second day of the meet, for the 50 metres breaststroke and the 200 metres breaststroke.

In the 200 metres Van Biljon destroyed her competition with the next best swimmer being over three seconds behind.

What makes Van Biljon’s performance all the more remarkable is that she has hardly trained recently. “I have been out of the water since the Olympics so I don’t expect great times. If I can medal great, but I am not expecting it. “I was lucky to get the gold in the 100 metres as there was tough competition,” said the petite Van Biljon

Because of her lack of fitness Van Biljon will miss the next stop on the Swimming World Cup circuit but she will make the trip to the following event, in Moscow. “This event (Durban) has given me an idea of where I am and I’ve been able to get a feel for the water. By missing Sydney I can do more training. I can’t get fit in two weeks but I can get a better feel for the water.”

Van Biljon may not be as fit as she would like but the buzz around the pool in Durban is that she is almost certain to medal in the evening session on day two. What will be helping van Biljon is her liking for her surroundings and her determination to forge a successful career.

“I love coming to Durban, this is a great pool and this is a good competition. Any international meet is good for your CV and good for your future,” she enthused.

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