National record-breaking took a back seat at Monday night’s opening night of finals at the SA Senior National Championships and 2010 Commonwealth Games Trials being staged at the King's Park Aquatic Centre in Durban.
The main focus of the top swimmers was on making qualifying times to be considered for the 2010 Games in New Delhi in October.
With these times being out of reach for most, it was all the more satisfying for Chad le Clos who powered his way past title-holder, Sebastian Rousseau over the last 50 metres to win the men’s 200m butterfly in 1:56.86.
This was 0.81 faster than the qualifying time for the Games and equalled Le Clos’ lifetime best for the event set last year when wearing the now banned “fast suits”.
“You can’t possibly know how I feel at this moment,” said the 18-year-old Westville Boys High learner.
“There is so much pressure on us to reproduce times we set previously with the new suits.” He said he had set out to just race against Rousseau and beat him, something he had never been able to achieve before.
“I didn’t expect to beat him at all,” said Le Clos.
It was the perfect birthday present to himself for he turned 18 on Monday and it also the first time he has won a senior national title.
Mark Randall (Border) also put up an outstanding performance when beating event title holder Jean Basson in the 400m freestyle final.
The 24-year-old Alabama Univ student was content to be up with the pace-setters Riaan Schoeman and Basson for three-quarters of the race and made his move over the last 100m to win in 3:49.97, only one-hundredth of a second outside the Commonwealth Games qualifying time (3:49.96).
Basson touched in 3:51.01 for second place and Schoeman in 3:51.86 for third.
It is two years since Randall has swum in his home country after taking some time out to refocus his future.
“I’ve still got the 1500m free to swim,” he said, “and it’s the distance I prefer so, make no mistake, I will be aiming for a qualifying time when it comes around.” Defending title-holder, Leone Vorster, was disappointed with her winning time of 1:59.68 in the women’s 200m freestyle final, saying she had hoped to go faster but that she had not been pushed by the other swimmers.
She finished almost two seconds ahead of fast-finishing Wendy Trott (WP; 2:01.39) who pipped Greek swimmer, Eleni Kosti (2:01.55), for second place.
“I had no idea where I was (in relation to the other swimmers) just when I needed to know,” said the 22-year-old marketing student from Polokwane who has spent the past three years studying for a marketing degree at the University of Arizona.
Vorster is the national record holder (1:58.78) for this event, a time she set last year, and has been consistently achieving good times ever since and probably should be given a chance to compete at the Commonwealth Games having just missed qualifying for last year’s World Championships as well.
Veteran butterfly specialist, Mandy Loots (CG), showed at 31 years she can still hold her own as she claimed victory in the 200m individual medley, leaving Jessica Pengelly (WP, 18) and Bianca Meyer (KZN, 20) in her wake.
Loots’ winning time of 2:17.75 was two-and-a-half seconds outside the CG qualifying time with Pengelly second in 2:18.04 and Meyer quite satisfied to come third in 2:18.49.
Results from the first-day of the Telkom SA Senior National Championships and 2010 Commonwealth Games Trials, on Monday (AQT A Standard Qualifying Time)
MEN
400m freestyle, final: 1 Jean Basson (CG) 3:48.58 (AQT), 2 Jay-Cee Thompson (KZN) 3:49.33, 3 Riaan Schoeman (KZN) 3:50.31
200m butterfly, final: 1 Chad le Clos (KZN) 1:56.86, 2 Sebastien Rousseau (WP) 1:58.09, 3 Wesley Gilchrist (KZN) 2:00.69
WOMEN
200m freestyle, final: 1 Leone Vorster (NT), 2 Wendy Trott (WP), 3 Eleni Kosti (GRE), 4 Jessica Pengelly (WP)
200m individual medley, final: 1 Mandy Loots (CG) 2:17.75, 2 Jessica Pengelly (WP) 2:18.04, 3 Bianca Meyer (KZN) 2:18.49
The main focus of the top swimmers was on making qualifying times to be considered for the 2010 Games in New Delhi in October.
With these times being out of reach for most, it was all the more satisfying for Chad le Clos who powered his way past title-holder, Sebastian Rousseau over the last 50 metres to win the men’s 200m butterfly in 1:56.86.
This was 0.81 faster than the qualifying time for the Games and equalled Le Clos’ lifetime best for the event set last year when wearing the now banned “fast suits”.
“You can’t possibly know how I feel at this moment,” said the 18-year-old Westville Boys High learner.
“There is so much pressure on us to reproduce times we set previously with the new suits.” He said he had set out to just race against Rousseau and beat him, something he had never been able to achieve before.
“I didn’t expect to beat him at all,” said Le Clos.
It was the perfect birthday present to himself for he turned 18 on Monday and it also the first time he has won a senior national title.
Mark Randall (Border) also put up an outstanding performance when beating event title holder Jean Basson in the 400m freestyle final.
The 24-year-old Alabama Univ student was content to be up with the pace-setters Riaan Schoeman and Basson for three-quarters of the race and made his move over the last 100m to win in 3:49.97, only one-hundredth of a second outside the Commonwealth Games qualifying time (3:49.96).
Basson touched in 3:51.01 for second place and Schoeman in 3:51.86 for third.
It is two years since Randall has swum in his home country after taking some time out to refocus his future.
“I’ve still got the 1500m free to swim,” he said, “and it’s the distance I prefer so, make no mistake, I will be aiming for a qualifying time when it comes around.” Defending title-holder, Leone Vorster, was disappointed with her winning time of 1:59.68 in the women’s 200m freestyle final, saying she had hoped to go faster but that she had not been pushed by the other swimmers.
She finished almost two seconds ahead of fast-finishing Wendy Trott (WP; 2:01.39) who pipped Greek swimmer, Eleni Kosti (2:01.55), for second place.
“I had no idea where I was (in relation to the other swimmers) just when I needed to know,” said the 22-year-old marketing student from Polokwane who has spent the past three years studying for a marketing degree at the University of Arizona.
Vorster is the national record holder (1:58.78) for this event, a time she set last year, and has been consistently achieving good times ever since and probably should be given a chance to compete at the Commonwealth Games having just missed qualifying for last year’s World Championships as well.
Veteran butterfly specialist, Mandy Loots (CG), showed at 31 years she can still hold her own as she claimed victory in the 200m individual medley, leaving Jessica Pengelly (WP, 18) and Bianca Meyer (KZN, 20) in her wake.
Loots’ winning time of 2:17.75 was two-and-a-half seconds outside the CG qualifying time with Pengelly second in 2:18.04 and Meyer quite satisfied to come third in 2:18.49.
Results from the first-day of the Telkom SA Senior National Championships and 2010 Commonwealth Games Trials, on Monday (AQT A Standard Qualifying Time)
MEN
400m freestyle, final: 1 Jean Basson (CG) 3:48.58 (AQT), 2 Jay-Cee Thompson (KZN) 3:49.33, 3 Riaan Schoeman (KZN) 3:50.31
200m butterfly, final: 1 Chad le Clos (KZN) 1:56.86, 2 Sebastien Rousseau (WP) 1:58.09, 3 Wesley Gilchrist (KZN) 2:00.69
WOMEN
200m freestyle, final: 1 Leone Vorster (NT), 2 Wendy Trott (WP), 3 Eleni Kosti (GRE), 4 Jessica Pengelly (WP)
200m individual medley, final: 1 Mandy Loots (CG) 2:17.75, 2 Jessica Pengelly (WP) 2:18.04, 3 Bianca Meyer (KZN) 2:18.49
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