Le Clos, Van Der Burgh to Headline South African Commonwealth Games Trials

KAZAN, RUSSIA - AUGUST 04: Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa competes on the way to setting a new world record in a time of 26.62 in the Men's 50m Breaststroke heats on day eleven of the 16th FINA World Championships at the Kazan Arena on August 4, 2015 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Photo Courtesy: Matthias Hangst

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Johannesburg – Olympians Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh will be among Mzansi’s aquatic stars who will be taking to the water at the KwaZulu-Natal Aquatics Premier Championships, doubling as the official Commonwealth Games Trials, taking place at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre in Durban, from 16 – 22 December 2017.

Four hundred and sixty (460) swimmers will compete to secure a place in the final team that will be selected to represent SA in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia from 4^th to 15^th April 2018.

Straight from his fourth FINA World Cup title win, Chad le Clos will be looking to secure his place at next year’s competition when he participated in the 50, 100 and 200m butterfly as well as the 100 and 200m freestyle.

Also determined to book his place in the Commonwealth Team will be Olympic gold-medalist Cameron van der Burgh, who will race the 50 and 100m breaststroke events.

Other contenders include the likes of Douglas Erasmus in the 50 and 100m freestyle, long-distance swimmer Matthew Meyer in the 400m freestyle and the 1500m freestyle as well as the up and coming talents of Luca Holtzhausen (13), Luan Grobbelaar (15), Mariella Venter (17), Hanim Abrahams (15), Erin Gallagher (18) and Dune Coetzee (15).

On the ladies’ side, 20 year old Tatjana Schoenmaker, who recently became the first South African to win a medal (silver) at the 2017 World Student Games in Taipei, with a personal best of 2:24.61, will be looking to better that time over the weeklong event, swimming the 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke, the 200m freestyle and the 200m individual medley.

Swimming South Africa’s CEO, Shaun Adriaanse, said “Our swimmers have a history of rising to the challenge to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and to compete for the highest honours at the Games.

“We wish all athletes the best of luck in striving for their best to Qualify for the Games,” concluded Adriaanse.

The KZN Aquatics Premier Championships and Commonwealth Games Trials begin on Saturday, 16^th December and conclude on Friday, 22^nd December 2017 with the heats starting at 09h00 while the finals will begin at 17h00 daily.

Qualifying times for the 2018 Commonwealth Games:

Male		Female
23.26	50m Freestyle	26.06
50.64	100m Freestyle	56.82
1:51.50	200m Freestyle	2:02.83
3:56.14	400m Freestyle	4:19.34
	800 Freestyle	8:56.71
15:44.74	1500m Freestyle
55.95	100m Backstroke	1:02.73
2:02.70	200m Backstroke	2:16.13
1:02.46	100m Breaststroke	1:09.95
2:15.70	200m Breaststroke	2:31.02
54.12	100m Butterfly	1:00.53
2:01.38	200m Butterfly	2:14.31
2:04.43	200m Ind Medley	2:18.08
4:26.93	400m Ind Medley	4:52.97

About Swimming South Africa

Swimming South Africa is the governing body of aquatics in South Africa. Its objective is to encourage the practice of aquatic disciplines for all in South Africa with the purpose of promoting swimming as a life skill through Learn To Swim programmes; providing healthy exercise to South Africans of all ages and races; recruiting recreational swimmers to compete in the various competitions; and promoting competition and athlete development to the highest level. Swimming South Africa is kindly supported by SASCOC, National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Arena, Sport & Recreation SA and Rand Water.

Press release courtesy of Swimming South Africa.

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