SA swimmers out to seal Olympics spots

THE opening session of semi-finals and finals of the 2012 Swimming SA National Championships and Olympic trials gets under way at 6pm on Monday at the King’s Park Aquatic Centre in Durban.

And it’s guaranteed to be packed with excitement, with the anticipation of the first of 12 elite swimmers – eight male and four female – attaining the magical Olympic A qualifying time that will guarantee them a ticket to the London Olympics later this year.

The national requirements for a swimmer to be eligible for final team selection are that he or she must match or beat the Olympic qualifying time for their event and finish in first or second place in the event final in the SA Olympic trials, having already attained the relevant Olympic qualifying time in a meeting abroad.

The impressive list of swimmers who have hopes for qualification is headed by Cameron van der Burgh, who holds three long-course and short-course breaststroke world records, and who will be in action in the semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke near the end of the session. He will, no doubt, be reserving his strength for the final taking place tomorrow evening.

Van der Burgh achieved the Olympic qualifying time for his favourite event at last year’s world championships with a time of 59.49 seconds, well under the Olympic qualifying 1:00.79, and will contest the 200m breastroke on Friday, the 100m butterfly on Sunday and the non-Olympic event 50m breaststroke, also on Sunday.

High on the list of expectations is Chad le Clos, a former Westville Boys’ High schoolboy, who is hoping to go to London qualified to swim in the 400m individual medley and the 100m and 200m butterfly.

He opens his bid on Monday night in the first of the elite finals, the 400m individual medley, having posted a 4:14.93 Olympic qualifying time at the SA Invitation Meet earlier this year.

He will be challenged for the national title by Riaan Schoeman, whose 4:16.02 at the same meeting only just dipped under the 4:16.06 Olympic qualifying time.

This race has all the makings of a classic as the eight finalists undertake to race up and down the 100m length of the pool four times, once for each of the four disciplines – breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and freestyle.

The women’s 100m butterfly semi-finals will feature Mandy Loots (33) and the youngest of the Olympic qualifiers, Vanessa Mohr (17), who swam a 58.66 Olympic qualifying time at the 2011 world champs. Loots will also be aiming to dip under the Olympic A qualifying time of 58.70.

The men’s 400m freestyle features 1 500m specialist Heerden Herman, Myles Brown and Olympian Jean Basson, none of whom have an Olympic qualifying time in this event.

Last of the three elite finals is the women’s 400m individual medley which sees Kathryn Meaklim as the leading contender, following her recent experience at the British Olympic trials in the new London Olympics pool. Meaklim said she had been overwhelmed on her way to achieving the Olympic qualifying time of 4:41.75 for the second time, this time in 4:39.98.

Another 12 swimmers hoping to form the vanguard of the Olympic team are: Karin Prinsloo (200m backstroke), Wendy Trott (800m freestyle), Gideon Louw (50m, 100m freestyle), Graeme Moore (100m freestyle), Darian Townsend (200m freestyle, 200m individual medley) and Sebastian Rosseau (200m butterfly, 200m individual medley). – The Mercury