Big thanks to Karien Jonckheere for contributing to this report. Karien is a South African freelance sports journalist who, among other accomplishments, was one of three chief writers of the official daily Olympic and Paralympic programs and magazines.
Another wrench has been thrown into the South African World Championship Trials: breaststroke superstar Cameron van der Burgh will fly out tonight for the Bergen Swim Festival, which has been declared a tribute meet to the late, great Norwegian breaststroker Alexander Dale Oen (see more on that honor here on SpeedEndurance).
This means that when the meet resumes on Wednesday, after Tuesday’s delay due to the poor quality of the water, Van de Burgh will not be in the 100 breaststroke final. According to South African rules, if a swimmer hits an automatic qualifying mark in the prelims or semi-finals, it can be considered if both spots are not filled in finals. Fortunately for van der Burgh, he pushed just enough in the semi’s to hit that “A” time, and with nobody else likely to do so in finals, the South African committee can still select him for Worlds (though they are not mandated to).
Swimmers were allowed to get in the water for warmups on Tuesday morning, and at that time the pool was considerably clearer (though still green). That warmup, however, churned up sediment at the bottom of the pool, which once again created issues with visibility.
See Also:
Full day 1 meet recap.
Myles Brown couldn’t see en route to missing qualifying standard by .25 seconds.
Swimmers arrive to Green Pool in South Africa.
They municipality of Port Elizabeth and Swim South Africa are all to blame. The trials meet is always held in Durban but they changed it to port elizabeth. The warm down facility is a 3 lane 25yard pool for the entire meet.
The blocks and facility is outdated, the pool is 3ft deep on one end.
This federation has to be without doubt the laughing stock of the swimming world.
After 3 Olympic medals, they have no funding and their trials pool looks like this.
As an ex-pat I am appalled. Swim SA members should resign with immediate affect. Get the likes of a Marianne Kriel, Annette Cowley, Ryk Neethling etc in there.
These people… Read more »
Even in better times it was strained…I cannot figure why in that hey day of so many men’s team international stars reading that swimmers were at times delayed or abandoned at airports with no per diems for food and the vitriol aimed at the athletes who trained at Univ. of Arizona. It just always seems like a swimming federation driven by political agendas and not the best interests of the athletes and I sincerely hope that can change sometime soon.
Why didn’t they vacuum the sediment before the pool was used for warm up?
I mean, in my local neighborhood pool, that’s how they clean up the pool regularly. And my country is not a rich country.
That south africa pool shows just how messed up their national swimming association must be.
Don’t blame him one bit. Good for him to leave that mess and go somewhere where he can be successfull, and salute his old friend.
Well done, VDB.