Le Clos picks up more medals

09/04/2016 Durban Chad le Clos is preparing for the Rio Compatition in King sparks swimming pool. PICTURE: SIBUSISO NDLOVU

09/04/2016 Durban Chad le Clos is preparing for the Rio Compatition in King sparks swimming pool. PICTURE: SIBUSISO NDLOVU

Published Jun 14, 2016

Share

Cape Town - Chad le Clos continued to lead from the front at the weekend's Mare Nostrum meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

The Durban swimmer picked up another gold and silver medal during the two days of competition.

His gold came in the 200m butterfly where he went 1min 54.42sec and there was the added bonus of a Championship Record, improving on the 1:54.90 he set in last year's meeting.

The silver came in the 200m freestyle as he touched in 1:47.11 behind Britain's James Guy (a Championships Record 1:46.91). There was consolation for Le Clos in that his time was the fastest he's swum this year.

Of the other South Africans in action Le Clos's training partner Myles Brown placed highest with a fourth spot in the 400m freestyle (3:48.86). Only other finalists were the young Jarred Crous and Doug Erasmus.

Youth Olympian Crous took fourth in the 200m breaststroke (2:11.52) and seventh in the 100m breaststroke in 1:01.24 while Erasmus was sixth in the 50m freestyle (22.68). African Youth Games athlete Tatjana Schoenmaker was the highest placed South African woman with ninth spot in the 200m breast (2:28.65) along with 2012 Olympian Karin Prinsloo (ninth in the 200m freestyle, 2:00.03).

Sadly Prinsloo decided to call it quits on her career after this meting. She ended her meeting with that ninth spot as well as ending 19th in the 100m back. In the 200m backstroke, the event that she represented South Africa in at the 2012 Olympics, she was 10th at the weekend with a 2:14.04.

In order for her to repeat her Olympic qualifying feat she would have had to clock 2.10.60 or quicker. The swimmer from Marble Hall, Limpopo Province has represented South Africa around the globe, including FINA World Championships, Commonwealth Games and African Youth Games. She took to social media to explain her decision:

“So many mixed feelings that it's hard to comprehend . For 21 years swimming was part of my life but last night I completed the circle by ending it off with the event I qualified in for the 2012 Olympics. “I never thought the sport I loved so dearly would also be the very thing that brought me so much tears. But today I walk away with a grateful heart,” she added.

African News Agency

Related Topics: