2006 African Swimmers of the Year: Suzaan Van Biljon and Roland Schoeman

PHOENIX, Arizona, November 28. YESTERDAY, we unveiled the 2006 Swimming World Magazine Open Water Swimmers of the Year (Larisa Ilchenko and Thomas Lurz). Today, we celebrate the African region with our African Swimmers of the Year – Suzaan Van Biljon and Roland Schoeman.

Suzaan Van Biljon
South African Suzaan Van Biljon stood head-and-shoulders above the rest of her region by claiming a nearly unanimous decision as Swimming World Magazine's Female African Swimmer of the Year. Only one of the selectors did not vote her as No. 1.

Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, who earned the honor both times since it was first recognized in 2004, finished second. A year ago, Van Biljon was runner-up.

The 18-year-old ranked No. 4 in the world in the 200 meter breast with her 2:25.39 bronze-medal performance at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, in March.

She finished the long course season with a gold medal in her specialty at the Pan Pacific Championships in August with a 2:26.36. Van Biljon won a hard-fought victory over Japan's Asami Kitagawa (2:27.07) with splits of 32.63, 37.14, 37.68 and 38.91.

More recently, she paced the women at the South African Telkom Short Course National Championships, snaring four gold medals, including a pair on the final day when she bettered the 200 IM South African record with a 2:12.86 before winning the 100 breast. She earlier won the 50 and 200 breast.

In other international action, Van Biljon took gold in the 50 and 200 breast at the Deutscher Ring Aquatics meet held in mid-August in Hamburg, Germany.

Van Biljon also garnered top female swimmer accolades at the Telkom South African National Championships held in April in Durban. During the competition, she brought home four gold medals with a breaststroke sweep and a triumph in the 200 IM.

FEMALE
1. SUZAAN VAN BILJON, South Africa
2. Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe
3t. Amanda Loots, South Africa
3t. Leone Vorster, South Africa
5. Tamaryn Laubscher, South Africa

Roland Schoeman
No one has dominated a region over the last three years like Roland Schoeman. The South African has been named Swimming World Magazine's Male African Swimmer of the Year since its inception in 2004. He defended his crown this year by collecting 12 of 15 first-place votes.

Schoeman finished the season with three top-five world rankings, including No. 1 in the 50 meter fly when he clocked 23.14 at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, in March.

At that meet, he added a gold medal in the 50 free with a 22.03, which ranked him fifth in the world at year's end. He also placed third in the 100 free (49.24). His 48.65 from earlier in the meet also ranked fifth in the world.

At the Pan Pacific Championships in August, Schoeman swam a bit slower, but went home with a silver medal in the 50 free, finishing behind the USA's Cullen Jones, 21.84 to 22.12. He also won a bronze medal in the 100 free by tying Australia's Eamon Sullivan with a 49.09.

Schoeman's highlight of the year came at the Deutscher Ring Aquatics short course meters meet held in Germany in mid- August. During the semis of the 50 free, Schoeman posted a jaw-dropping 20.98 to obliterate the previous world record of 21.10 recorded by France's Fred Bousquet in 2004. He finished the meet with three gold medals, winning the 50 and 100 free as well as the 100 IM.

MALE
1. ROLAND SCHOEMAN, South Africa
2. Ryk Neethling, South Africa
3. Lyndon Ferns, South Africa
4. Gerhard Zandberg, South Africa
5. Troyden Prinsloo, South Africa

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Suzaan Van Biljon won the 2006 African Swimmer of the Year award from Swimming World Magazine.

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