South Africa’s top sprinters, Roland Schoeman and Ryk Neethling, ended the inaugural Fina Swimming World Cup with a total of 12 medals between them while Slovakia’s Martina Moravcova left with six gold medals at the Kings Park Aquatic Centre on Sunday.
South African swimmers finished with a total medal haul of 31.
Schoeman and Neethling continued their dominance of the sprint events on Sunday, finishing first and second in both the 100m butterfly and the 50m freestyle.
”We live together, we train together and we’re always pushing each other in the pool and even in the gym,” said Schoeman.
Neethling set the tone for the evening when he swam a South African short-course record of 51,9 seconds in the men’s 100m butterfly, improving on the old record of 52,14 previously held by Schoeman and claiming his second gold medal of the meet. Schoeman took second place.
But Schoeman responded with gold in the 50m freestyle in a time of 21,57 seconds, while Neethling settled for second.
Terence Parkin won gold in the in the 200m breaststroke, his speciality event, with a time of 2:10,12.
Moravcova dominated the women’s events at this meet, leaving with six gold medals in her first competitive appearance since the World Championships in Barcelona four months ago, and adding the last with her victory in the 200m freestyle.
American Staciana Stitts collected her second gold medal with a win in the 50m breaststroke.
For the latest news, results, stats, photographs and video material from this World Cup log on to www.durbanworldcup.co.za, the official website for the event. — Sapa