Schoenmaker Scores 3rd Fastest 100 Breast In The World

2019 SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 8th – Friday, April 12th
• Kings Park Aquatic Centre, Durban
• LCM
• Psych Sheet
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
• Results

Women’s 400m Free – Final

• GOLD – Dune Coetzee, 4:14.27
• SILVER – Christin Mundell, 4:22.83
• BRONZE – Kiara Noades, 4:22.84

It was a teenage affair on the women’s 400m free podium tonight in Durban, with a trio of under 20-year-olds taking the top 3 spots. 16-year-old Dune Coetzee led the way in a new personal best mark of 4:14.27, beating the field by over 8 seconds tonight.

Coetzee’s previous personal best rested at the 4:14.53 she notched back in December of 2017 and collected her 2nd best time at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where she clocked 4:15.21 in prelims. Tonight she was able to get under the 4:15 threshold once again, but fell short of the 4:10.57 FINA A cut for World Championships. Nevertheless, it was a solid performance for this multiple South AFrican Junior National Champion.

Coetzee already took the 200m fly senior national title at these championships earlier.

17-year-0ld Christin Mundell touched in 4:22.83 for runner-up tonight, while Kiara Noades rounded out the top 3 only .01 out of silver in 4:22.84.

Men’s 400m Free – Final

• GOLD – Brent Szurdoki, 3:51.96
• SILVER – James Freeman, 3:53.18
• BRONZE – Josh Dannhauser, 3:53.30

No man was able to get under the 3:50 threshold tonight in their edition of the 400m free, with 22-year-old Brent Szurdoki representing the fastest swimmer in 3:51.96. That’s Szurdoki’s fastest time ever by over a second, overtaking his previous PB of 3:53.24 from December 2017.

18-year-old James Freeman settled for silver in 3:53.18, while Josh Dannhauser collected bronze in 3:53.30.

Women’s 100m Breast – Final

• GOLD – Tatjana Schoenmaker, 1:06.83
• SILVER – Kaylene Corbett, 1:09.03
• BRONZE – Rebecca Meder, 1:10.06

Taking things up a notch in the women’s 100m breast event was 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker. The 21-year-old Tuks swimmer led a 1-2 punch from her club, leading teammate Kaylene Corbett to the wall.

Schoenmaker hit in 1:06.83, clocking a FINA A cut for this summer’s World Championships in the process. Her time was within half a second of her gold medal-n1:06.41 from the Gold Coast, a mark which remains as the African Continental Record.

Tonight Schoenmaker split 31.87/34.96 for her speedy 1:06.83 result, now sliding into the 3rd spot in the world rankings in the event this season.

Following her teammate, 19-year-old Corbett put up a personal best en route to silver, capturing 1:09.03. That slices .32 off of her previous career-fastest from almost 4 years ago.

16-year-old Rebecca Meder collected more hardware by finishing in 1:10.06 for bronze.

Men’s 100m Breast – Final

• GOLD – Michael Houlie, 1:00.44
• SILVER – Alaric Basson, 1:02.15
• BRONZE – Brenden Crawford, 1:02.64

The nation of South Africa is now without its prime time Olympic champion and World champion Cameron van der Burgh since his retirement, so a new breaststroker will need to emerge. 18-year-old Tennessee Vol Michael Houlie is a viable candidate, having clinched the 50m breast national title last night, and followed up with the 100m title this evening.

Registering a morning swim of 1:01.08, the Western Cape athlete punched out a winning mark of 1:00.44 to beat the field by well over 1 1/2 seconds. Splitting 27.54, 32.90, Houlie’s effort falls short of the 59.95 FINA A cut, but is is fastest since last year’s Youth Olympic Games. There in Buenos Aires, Houlie knocked out a 1:00.23 in prelims, his best time, but mustered just a 1:01.70 in the final to fall to 5th place after leading the prelims and semi’s.

Alaric Basson, who finished behind Houlie last night in the 50m, was runner-up once again this evening in 1:02.15, while 23-year-old Brenden Crawford also made it onto the podium in 1:02.64.

Women’s 100m Back – Final

• GOLD – Mariella Venter, 1:01.87
• SILVER – Nathania Van Niekerk, 1:02.10
• BRONZE – Olivia Nel, 1:03.63

No one in the women’s 100m back final was able to get under 1:00, let alone 1:01, as 19-year-old Mariella Venter took the gold in 1:01.87. Nathania Van Niekerk, who already qualified for this summer’s World Championships in the 200m back, took silver in this shorter distance in 1:02.10.

16-year-old Olivia Nel produced a time of 1:03.63, her first time under 1:05, to take bronze.

Men’s 100m Back – Final

• GOLD – Christopher Reid, 54.23
• SILVER – Zane Waddell, 54.60
• BRONZE – Martin Binedell, 56.08

The men’s 100m back saw 23-year-old Christopher Reid come painstakingly close to the FINA A cut for this summer’s World Championships. Establishing himself as the man to beat with his morning time of 54.13, Reid was just .10 slower this evening, but still quick enough to take gold in 54.23.

His morning effort was just .01 outside of his own national record of 54.12, a time he amassed at this very same meet 3 years ago.

Zane Waddell was in hot pursuit, just .04 behind at the halfway point, but faded a tad to finish in 54.60 for silver. Martin Binedell took bronze in 56.08.

For Reid, both his 54.13 and 54.23 efforts fell just shy of the 54.06 A cut, but the ECA swimmer has already qualified for Gwangju outright in the men’s 200m back.