South Africa Names National Squads

DURBAN, South Africa, May 21. SHE’S taken on the Australians and managed to earn a spot on the podium and now Lize Mari Retief has shifted her focus to the Europeans. The 19-year-old swimmer, who claimed Commonwealth Games bronze in the 50m butterfly earlier this year, will be part of a squad of 21 swimmers, announced by Swimming South Africa (SSA) on Friday, who will be competing in various competitions in Europe over the coming weeks.

“I had bronchitis that turned into a viral infection and that kept me out for two to three weeks over nationals but since then training has been going well,” explained Retief during the week. “I think winning the bronze in Melbourne was very important for me because it makes you realize that anything is possible. If you work hard, you can achieve anything.”

Retief said she will be using the upcoming Mare Nostrum series in Europe chiefly to gain race experience.

“I’m pretty excited,” she said. “I’ve already raced against the Australians so it will be good to race in Europe. I’m just hoping to swim some fast times in a competitive environment.

Retief’s fellow Commonwealth Games medallist, George du Rand (who claimed the backstroke silver in Melbourne) is one of four South African swimmers who will kick off the European tour by competing in Bratislava from May 26-28. Meanwhile, another of the Melbourne achievers, Gerhard Zandberg, will be the sole competitor at the opening leg of the Mare Nostrum series in Monaco from June 3-4 while his teammates compete in Zagreb, Croatia. The team will then move on to the second leg of the Mare Nostrum, in Canet from June 7-8 and then on to Barcelona from June 10-11.

“Mare Nostrum is an international competition with high-caliber athletes,” said SSA Performance Manager Rushdee Warley. “And it will expose our swimmers to the top level of competition and teach them to cope with intense conditions over a longer period of time because most of them will be swimming at three consecutive competitions.

SSA also announced on Friday the names of those swimmers who have been included on the national squads. Only swimmers who have been selected to these squads will be chosen to represent the country at international meetings in the coming year.

Meanwhile the Federation has also finalized the National Open Water Swimming squads and swimmers that have been selected to participate in preparation events for the Fourth FINA Open Water Swimming World Championships that will be held in Naples in August. The senior squad will participate in two 5km events of the French Cup, the Canet meet of the Mare Nostrum and the FINA Marathon Swimming Series 10km event in Seville, Spain.

Open Water Swimming is the fastest growing participation sport in South Africa and the Federation is currently investing in athletes who could represent South Africa in the inaugural 10km open water swimming event scheduled for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. National Open Water Swimming Coordinator, Neville Smith, said “that the only way to produce competitive open water swimmers is to expose them to the vigors of international competitions”.

Open Water Swimming stalwarts Kenneth Smith and Shaun Diaz will head the South African senior challenge in Europe this winter and will be joined by the promising Velia Janse van Rensburg, while leading juniors Demi Drakopoulus and Chad Ho will get their first taste of senior international competition.

The junior National Open Water Swimming squad will participate at the London Marathon Swimming Festival at the Royal Albert Dock from June 24-25. The group will be headed by Drakopoulus who will be out to defend her title in the 3km Junior International event while Ho will be hoping to continue his rich vein of form when he hopes to better his silver medal performance from 2005.

The open water swimming teams to compete at the FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships in August, the Senior African Swimming Championships in September and the squads to compete in the FINA Marathon Swimming Series in Brazil (September) and Portugal (October) will be announced in July.

National Swimming Squads

Senior Elite

Roland Schoeman (NTS), Ryk Neethling (KZN), Suzaan van Biljon (NTS)

Junior Elite

Graeme Moore (CGA), Chanelle van Wyk (NTS), Wendy Trott (WPA), Cameron van der Burgh (NTS), Thabang Moeketsane (NTS), Jean-Marie Neethling (GW), Garth Tune (CGA), Jean Basson (CGA), Jay Cee Thomson (CGA), Riaan Schoeman (KZN), Jessica Pengelly (WPA), Keri Shaw (NTS)

Senior Male

Gerhard Zandberg (NTS), Troyden Prinsloo (NTS), William Diering (NTS), Fouche Venter (NTS), Shaun Harris (FS), Jasper Venter (NW), Terence Parkin (KZN), Stuart Rogers (CGA), Ryan de Klerk (EPA), George du Rand (FS), Gideon Louw (NTS), Eugene Hulley (KZN), Neil Versveld (KZN), Louis Lotter (NTS), Russell Kopp (Border), Keenen Riffel (NTS), Mario Rankin (KZN), Brendan Legardien (WPA), Ian Permall (WPA), Anwar Louw (WPA), Dane Leo (EPA)

Senior Female
Lauren Roets (CGA), Leone Vorster (NP), Lize Mari Retief (NTS), Mandy Loots (CGA), Melissa Corfe (KZN), Natalie du Toit (WPA), Tamaryn Laubscher (NTS), Claire Archibald (CGA), Bianca Meyer (NTS), Daniella Zaverdinos (WPA), Marielle Rogers (KZN), Kirsten van Heerden (KZN), Elzanne Werth (CGA), Jo Anne Bergman (FS)

Conditional Squad Members

Lyndon Ferns (NTS), Karl Thaning (WPA), Darian Townsend (KZN), Robin Francis (KZN)

Junior Male

13 years: Joshua Kriel (NTS), Heinrich Alberts (NP), Jaryd Mare (KZN), Abdul Malick Railoun (WPA), Marco Husselman (KZN)

14 years: Gerard Naus (NW), David Marais (EPA), Wesley Morris (EPA), Pierre Wirth (CGA), Lindo Ndaba (KZN), Delano Abdoll (NTS), Lyle Aloile (WPA)

15 years: Kristopher Matulovich (CGA), Darren Murray (WPA), Cam Bosch (CGA), Jodi Adriaanse (NTS), Sebastian Rousseau (WPA), John Ellis (KZN), Mikyle Webster (KZN), Stephan May (WPA), Chad Ho (KZN), Rodney Peach (NTS), Warren Karsten (NTS), Suvir Satayendra (KZN), Darren Chetty (KZN)

16 years: Wesley Gilchrist (KZN), Shane Fantham (NTS), Davynn Peffer (CGA), Dean Joubert de Villiers (KZN), Athisten Cooper (CGA), Rousseau Kluever (WPA), Jurie Wilken (CGA), Neo Kgame (CGA), Lucky Nkabinde (CGA), Preston Kyd (KZN), Victor Lemphane (NFS)

17 years: Morne Boshoff (NTS), Gerard Noel (KZN), Levi Richards (KZN)

Junior Female

13 years: Oneida Cooper (CGA), Tasmynne Roe (EPA), Natasha de Vos (NP), Dominique Dryding (WPA), Robin Ferguson (WPA)

14 years: Melissa Alberts (NW), Rene Warnes (KZN), Courtnay Mower (KZN), Kerry Oliver (KZN), Megan Scott (CGA), Hleziphi Hadebe (KZN)

15 years: Christy Lategan (NW), Wilechia Vraagoom (WPA), Tanya Bouffe (KZN), Leah Coetzee (KZN), Yolandi van der Merwe (WPA), Samantha Meyer (CGA), Natalie Elphick (KZN), Natasha Boshoff (CGA), Louise Smyth (FS), Lauren Primo (CGA), Bhavini Jairam (CGA)

16 years: Yolana du Plessis (NTS), Kathryn Meaklim (KZN), Tanya Strydom (KZN), Karin Prinsloo (NTS), Lehesta Kemp (NTS)

Additional swimmers: Ze Nxumalo (KZN), Mon Cherie Pepper (KZN), Kurt Benjamin (WPA), Byran Titus (WPA), Shannen Ferguson (WPA)

National Open Water Swimming National Squads

Senior OWS Squad

Shaun Dias (KZN), Pieter Swart(NTS), Tyron Venter(NTS), Kenneth Smith(NTS), Demi Drakopoulus(KZN), Alison-Jane Logan(KZN), Mia Grundlingh(KZN), Velia Janse van Rensburg(EPA)

Junior OWS Squad

Myles Brown(KZN), Prince Shazi(KZN), Chad Ho(KZN), Charl van Zyl(KZN), Mark de Swardt(KZN), Alain Lotriet(FS), Victor Lemphane(NFS), Elwyn Silent(NTS), Bonkosi Nxumalo(KZN), Faffa Muller(WPA), Lauren Mattheus(CGA), Jenny White(NTS), Rene Warnes(KZN), Natasha Naiker(KZN), Louise Smyth(FS), Nadia Swart(NTS), Sharne Franklin(FS), Rae’esha Hendricks(WPA), Samantha Meyer(CGA), Thilo Pillay(KZN)

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