HAMBURG, Germany, August 10. ON a competitive hiatus since the World Short Course Championships in April, South Africa’s Ryk Neethling will return to action this weekend when he races an invitational meet in Hamburg, Germany. Neethling has been training for the past six weeks and is looking for a gauge as to where he stands on a racing level. Neethling’s return was reported by Karien Jonckheere of SuperSport.
Neethling will be joined by a handful of other South African standouts, including Lyndon Ferns. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Neethling and Ferns were joined by Roland Schoeman and Darian Townsend on the gold-medal winning 400 free relay that established a world record. Schoeman is expected to compete at the upcoming Pan Pacific Championships.
At the short-course meet in Germany, Neethling is scheduled to contest the 100 and 200 freestyles, along with the 100 individual medley. Neethling’s primary focus is on the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne. That meet will be held in March.