South African National Age Group 3 Championships: Jessica Liss, Mickey Olivier Highlight Day

EAST LONDON, South Africa, March 8. JESSICA Liss swimming fever continued to take East London by storm, and this time it was KwaZulu Natal's young Mickey Olivier who joined the Port Elizabeth-based swim star in record-breaking mode, at the Telkom SA National Level 3 Championships at the Joan Harrison Swimming Pool.

Liss, a St. Georges Prep Grade 7 pupil, cruised past her previous national mark of 2:23.23, in the 200 meter individual medley in the girls 12 years age group, to stop the clock at 2:22.40 and went on to prove that she is just as speedy in the grueling 800 meter freestyle, as she bettered another of her national best achievements.

Once again in the long distance discipline, Liss was in the now much-expected class of her own, as she posted a win in 9:08.92, to eclipse her previous SA record of 9:11.08.

KwaZulu Natal's Mickey Olivier also created some additional work for the Swimming SA statisticians

As he set a new national mark of 30.58 in the boys 12 years category 50 backstroke, to assign Dean Joubert's previous SA record of 30.61 to further down in the history books.

Yet again this week, KwaZulu Natal's Wesley Gilchrist and Central Gauteng's Jay-Cee Thomson had the crowd on their feet as a fraction of a second separated them in an exciting finish to the 200 meter individual medley.

After Thomson had held off Gilchrist in taking the 400 meter freestyle title earlier in the week, to which Gilchrist responded with a win over his Johannesburg-based rival in the 200 meter freestyle, it was the turn of Gilchrist to take the lead, as he clocked 2:08.03 compared to Thomson's 2:08.35.

Jessica Pengelly, Western Province's national 200 and 400 meter national 400 meters individual medley record-holder, had little trouble in taking gold in the 16 years category 200 meter individual medley (2:19.34) and 50 meter backstroke (31.05).

Special thanks to Swimming South Africa for contributing this report.

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