Commonwealth Games triple gold medallist Roland Schoeman will not compete at the SA Aquatic Championships in Durban next week, Swimming South Africa (SSA) confirmed on Thursday.
Schoeman, who pulled out of the World Short Course Championships in Shanghai, China, last week due to illness, has still not recovered sufficient fitness to take part in the national championships.
But there will still be plenty of excitement for spectators at the Kings Park Aquatic Centre in Durban from April 18-23.
Ryk Neethling, recently returned from Shanghai with his three gold medals — 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 100m medley — will participate with Gerhard Zandberg, his fellow Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 100mx4 relay.
Other elite swimmers competing for national honours include World Short Course medallist Suzaan van Biljon (silver — 100m breaststroke) and Commonwealth Games medallists George du Randt (silver — 200m backstroke) and 19-year-old Lize-Marie Retief (bronze — 50m backstroke).
The Soweto-born youngster Thabang Moeketsane, who had to withdraw from the Shanghai competition because of commitments at school, will be up against his biggest rival, the 2000 Sydney Olympic silver medallist Terence Parkin. Moeketsane hopes to beat him finally in the 200m breaststroke, an event which Parkin has
dominated for the last five years.
The season has been extremely busy for the country’s top swimmers but manager Rushdee Warley emphasised the importance for the elite swimmers to take part in the premier domestic competition.
”With new talent emerging, it keeps our elite swimmers on their toes,” said Warley. ”It’s always good to have competition and it helps maintain national standards while breeding newcomers to the national scene.”
The championships will be used to select the national squad for future events, including the Pan-Pacific Championships in Vancouver, Canada, and the Youth World Championships in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, in August and the Senior African Championships in Senegal in September.
Warley congratulated the South African swimmers on their recent success at the World Short Course Championships in Shangai. Their achievements were all the more significant when put into perspective, comparing the funding invested by other top swimming nations in preparing their athletes.
He stressed the importance of building a team with depth and sustainability looking towards the 2008 Beijing Olympics and beyond.
”We are looking for sustained success and not one-off, instant gratification,” said Warley.
National coach Dirk Lange said the recent success at the Commonwealth Games and World Short Course Championships meant that there was a good team spirit and more professionalism in the team. With his mandate to raise South Africa to within the top five swimming nations by Beijing 2008, his focus is strictly on the future.
”Swimming worldwide has changed dramatically and reached new professional levels. My strategy is to build on young talent and I will have to make some tough decisions in the next two months, allowing no room for sentiment or past achievements. My focus is strictly on the future,” said Lange.
Open water swimming is an important part of the championships. The Commonwealth Games’ 1 500m bronze medallist, Troyden Prinsloo, and the 5km and 10km champion, Kenneth Smith, will sompete at the Hazel Mere Dam in Durban on Sunday, April 23.
Also on show will be the synchronised swimming team, with the three SA Commonwealth Games team members Kendra Semple, Derryn Semple and Shannon Crowder participating. – Sapa