2024 SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (OLYMPIC TRIALS)
- Monday, April 8th – Saturday, April 13th
- Newton Park Swimming Pool, Gqeberha, South Africa
- LCM (50m)
- SwimSwam Preview
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
- Results
We entered day 3 of the 2024 South African National Championships with the meet representing the nation’s Olympic Trials competition.
26-year-old Olympic champion Tatjana Smith (nee Schoenmaker) already made her presence known on day one, capturing 50m breast gold in a new personal best of 30.09.
Racing in the heats this morning in Gqeberha, Smith put up another impressive performance en route to securing the top seed in the women’s 200m breast.
Smith touched in a time of 2:19.92 to register the 4th-swiftest time of her career.
She split 32.44/35.41/35.90/36.17 to lead the field by nearly 4 seconds. The next-closest competitor was Kaylene Corbett who touched in 2:23.84.
Entering these championships, Smith’s season-best rested at the 2:20.30 she logged at December’s South African World Championship Trials, although she wound up not competing in Doha. Her swim today sliced .38 off of that to check-in as her quickest time since the 2020 Olympic Games.
Tatjana Schoenmaker‘s Top 5 LCM 200 Breaststroke Performances All-Time
- 2:18.95 – 2021 Olympic Games
- 2:19.16 – 2021 Olympic Games (heats)
- 2:19.33 – 2021 Olympic Games (semi-final)
- 2:19.92 – 2024 South African Olympic Trials
- 2:20.17 – 2021 South African National Championships
Additional Notes
- Aimee Canny staked her claim on the women’s 200m free, producing the sole outing of this morning’s heats under 2:00 in 1:59.52. She won the 100m free last night over national record holder Erin Gallagher. Dune Coetzee earned the 2nd seed this morning in 2:02.73.
- Matt Sates will try to follow-up his 200m fly victory from last night with a win in the 200m free. He hit 1:50.69 with Guy Brooks next in line in 1:51.26.
- 20-year-old Matthew Randle landed lane 4 in the men’s 200m breast in 2:14.89 while the women’s 200m back saw Hannah Pearse notch 2:12.44 for the top seed.
- Dylan Wright put up a mark of 2:03.20 as the quickest men’s 200m backstroker out of the heats, with 2024 World Championships bronze medalist Pieter Coetze casually turn in in a time of 2:04.96.
Yeahh the 200 breast in olympics Will be fire!!🔥
Tess, tatjana and Kate 2:19 wow
TS goes 2:19.01 in the final! Some people had already handed out that 200 Breast Paris gold to someone else lol. They’re going to be disappointed.
Nice! With the rise of Douglass and Schouten this event will also be fire in Paris.
hahaha I think someone is very in love
And some people have devoted years to rooting against Kate Douglass in every race.
I wonder which group is better off?
I haven’t encountered those people. But considering she’s won like 1 LCM race in her career then people rooting against her are probably pretty happy
Two
We all know Doha doesn’t count.
Confused by this one… What event did Hannah Pearse go 2:12.44? 200 fly? Can’t be 200 Breast for sure.
“20-year-old Matthew Randle landed lane 4 in the men’s 200m breast in 2:14.89 while the women’s edition saw Hannah Pearse notch 2:12.44.”
200 back
I don’t know how south african olympic qualification works?
does uva swimmer aimee canny qualify by winning 100free and any other events she wins?
how about sa relays?
They have 0 Qualified relays
On other Note: Sates seems to have lost some of the potential he showcased 2 years ago..
relay qualification is primarily based on the top 16 rankings across fukuoka and doha. whether a country accepts an invite is up to the federation. but south africa is not in that position, because their best result was 17th in the mixed medley
They use FINA A and B cuts. Do you know how those work?. But then they usually have to pay part of their way!
Yes, no relays are qualified. For the individual events: the top two of the event at this meet if they have made the OQT. If the top two do not have a OQT in the final it goes to whomever gets the OQT in the heats, if any. Only if nobody goes under the OQT at this meet do they look at anyone who gets the OQT at another meet (but only if that person reached the final here).
So because Canny has not gotten the OQT she won’t be going for the 100m Free.
Unfortunately South African swimming has thé worst swim administration in the world. They claim on National TV that their focus is to qualify relays yet they haven’t done anything to manage the relay athletes and at least put a plan together for when they wanted them all at a qualifying meet for relay qualification. South African swimmers make is despite Swimming South Africa, definitely not because of them. But watch them gloat when the likes of Tatjana does well….
Even when they had Reid at back, Christian VB at breast, Chad on fly and my grandmother could anchor that relay, they didn’t swim it or try to qualify!
Oooh boy. Love that! I’m also loving that I know how to pronounce her name now!
ok wow yes I think we will see a dogfight in Paris in this race.