Swimming SA’s swim stars are ready, willing and able to deliver fast times in a bid for glory for their country, when the Olympic Games take place in Beijing next month.
In wishing the 25-strong squad the best of luck at a farewell dinner in
Kempton Park near Johannesburg last night, Swimming SA President Jace Naidoo
said: “The aquatics contingent is by far the biggest that SA has sent to an
Olympic event and the current crop has a far more balanced gender element to
it with eight female participants in the team.”
This gender aspect is a major feather in the cap of Swimming SA who came in
for much criticism when – with the exception of diver Jenna Dreyer - no
female swimmers were able to qualify for the previous Olympics held in
Athens, Greece in 2004.
Earlier this month, Sebastien Rousseau and Jasper Venter were named as the
two latest inclusions in the team and they will compete in the 4x200 metres
freestyle relay event at the Olympics.
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South Africa’s two long distance swimmers in Capetonian Natalie du Toit and
Durban-based Chad Ho, will also be making history as this is the first time
that the 10km open water swimming event has been included on the Olympic
programme.
The SA team will be based in Daegu, Korea for a training camp where the
swimmers will acclimatize before leaving for Beijing on August 6.
The SA swimmers, currently based in America, will join their teammates in
Korea, but Jenna Dreyer, the sole diving representative in the team will
join the team later.
Representatives of Telkom and Bestmed, along with Swimming SA’s other proud
sponsors in the form of Sport and Recreation SA, the National Lotteries Fund
and Arena, were ecstatic as they shared in the swimmers’ Olympic dreams.
Telkom: Senior Manager: Presence Marketing & Sponsorships, Braam Wessels
said: “Telkom has been a loyal sponsor of Swimming SA for several years, and
trust that our athletes will be able to reproduce the fine form shown at the
official Olympic trials held at Telkom SA National Aquatics Championships in
Durban in April, when they take on the best athletes in the world at the
Beijing Olympics. From a Telkom perspective, we wish the SA aquatics team
the best of luck and look forward to receiving many telephone calls from
Beijing, informing us of the fast times and medals achieved.”
Bestmed: GM: Corporate Affairs, Alan Fritz remarked: “As a relatively new
sponsor to Swimming SA, we are delighted to share in the passion and emotion
of encouraging our athletes to achieve the best results possible at the
Beijing Olympics. With several young athletes in the national team, the
experience that they will gain bodes well for the future of swimming in SA.”
SA aquatics team:
Diving:
Jenna Dreyer.
Swimming:
Men:
Cameron Van der Burgh, Chad Ho, Darian Townsend, Gerhard Zandberg,
George Du Rand, Gideon Louw, Jean Basson, Lyndon Ferns, Neil Versfeld, Riaan
Schoeman, Roland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling, Troyden Prinsloo, William Diering,
Sebastien Rosseau, Jasper Venter.
Women:
Kathryn Meaklim, Melissa Corfe, Jessica Pengelly, Lize-Mari Retief ,
Amanda Loots, Wendy Trott, Suzaan van Biljon and Natalie du Toit
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