Johannesburg – It was a phenomenal start for Mzansi’s best at the Port Elizabeth leg of the South African Swimming Grand Prix, at Newton Park on Saturday.
Chad le Clos was on top of the medal podium in both the 50m butterfly and the 100m freestyle, clocking a golden 24.51 and 50.04sec respectively.
Nico Meyer and Clayton Jimmie came second and third in the butterfly event in 24.81 and 24.90, while Jimmie also scooped the silver in the freestyle race in 50.36 and Douglas Erasmus the bronze in 50.67.
The breaststroke finals belonged to 2014 Youth Olympian Jarred Crous, who claimed the gold in the 50m in 28.09 and the 200m in 2:15.53, with home town swimmer Alaric Basson taking the bronze in the 50m in 29.82 and the silver in the 200m in 2:20.15. Mikey Houlie won silver in the 50m in 29.39 and the bronze in the 200m went to Francois Theron in 2:20.30.
Another double gold medallist was Cape Town’s Jessica Ashley-Cooper. In the 50m freestyle, Ashley-Cooper touched the wall in a fast 26.51, ahead of Emma Chelius in 27.17 and Jade Neser in 27.20, while in the 100m butterfly, she clocked 1:02.07 to Tarryn Els’1:04.17 and Nathania van Niekerk’s 1:04.35.
Van Niekerk went one better in the 200m freestyle when she grabbed the silver in 2:06.28, ahead of Kate Beavon in 2:06.38 and behind Karin Prinsloo in 2:01.87, while Beavon also finished with the silver in the 800m freestyle in 9:08.39 and the 200m individual medley in 2:22.96.
The gold in the freestyle went to Caitlin Kat in 8:54.64 and the bronze to Jessica Canter in 9:45.62, while the medley gold was won by Gabi Grobler in 2:22.23 and the bronze by Hanim Abrahams in 2:28.02.
Abrahams also took home the bronze in the 100m breaststroke in 1:12.62 behind 2014 African Youth Games ace Tatjana Schoenmaker in 1:09.93 and Kaylene Corbett in 1:10.02.
It was a golden day for Mariella Venter, as she won both the 50 and 200m backstroke races in 29.47 and 2:14.82 respectively. The silver and bronze in the 50m event went to Samantha Labuschagne in 30.84 and Chloe Velde in 31.33, while the 200m second and third place was taken by Jessica Beukes in 2:21.04 and Abi Meder in 2:23.36.
In the 400m individual medley, Jarryd Baxter took home the gold in 4:31.82, while Neil Fair came second in 4:39.77 and Edward Johannisen third in 4:55.36. Baxter also went on to win the silver in the 400m freestyle in 4:02.40, ahead of Ruan Ras in 4:06.84 and behind Brent Szurdoki in 3:56.50.
In the 100m backstroke, Neil de Villiers won in 56.82, ahead of Ricky Ellis in 57.09 and Liam Fourie in 59.21, while the 200m butterfly title went to Brendan Levy in 2:02.06, ahead of Michael Meyer in 2:02.71 and Dayne Odendaal in 2:04.30.
– ANA