World champion Gerhard Zandberg of South Africa won two gold medals in swimming at the All African Games on Monday, setting a competition record in the 50m backstroke and helping his team to victory in the 400m freestyle relay.
Zandberg won the backstroke in 25,68 seconds, edging Egypt’s Ahmed Hussein and Kenyan Jason Dunford. In the relay, Zandberg and teammates Gideon Louw, Shaun Harris and Jean Bason set another games record of three minutes, 22,52 seconds to lead South Africa over Algeria in second and Egypt in third.
”It’s been a tough week and I’ve tried to keep positive so the results will come, so I’m really pleased with this time at this stage of my preparations,” Zandberg said after his backstroke victory. ”It’s a very fast pool … there’s no excuse not to swim fast.”
Compatriot Troyden Prinsloo won another of South Africa’s four golds, taking the 800m freestyle in 8:12,26, more than eight seconds ahead of compatriot Riaan Schoeman.
Algeria’s Sofiane Daid delighted the home crowd with a victory in the 200m breaststroke, finishing in 2:14,27 to beat South Africa’s William Dering by three-hundredths of a second. He credited the South Africans for his motivation.
”If I made my two best times here it’s thanks to the superiority of the South Africans,” Daid said. ”It’s the first time they bring their top team and that’s obliged us to swim really fast to win.”
In women’s swimming, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe set the first African record of the games by winning the women’s 50m backstroke in 28,89.
It was Coventry’s fourth gold medal in four days. Coventry also claimed a silver in the 100m breaststroke, won by South Africa’s Suzaan Van Biljon.
South African Amanda Loots won her third gold of the games in the women’s 100m butterfly, setting an All Africa Games record of 1:00,09.
The South African victories gave the nation 28 gold medals and 68 overall, second in both counts behind Algeria, which continued to lead with 39 gold and 93 overall.
The All Africa Games run until July 23. – Sapa-AP