Double gold for Neethling
2006-11-12 22:21
Johannesburg - Ryk Neethling, the golden boy of South African swimming, won two gold medals in a gala in Italy at the weekend.
Neethling was a member of the SA team that left last week to compete in the Italian short-course grand prix events.
After a slow start in Viareggio last Thursday, when he managed only a seventh place and a time of 23 seconds in the 50m freestyle, Neethling came first in two events in Genoa on Friday.
He took gold in the 100m freestyle, winning in 48.70s and beating Italian Alessandro Calci (48.75) into second place.
In the 200m freestyle, Neethling found himself in a titanic battle against Italy's Federico Capellazzo. They tied for first place in 1min 47.33s.
South African Gerhard Zandberg won silver in the 50m backstroke (25.08s) in Viareggio, where America's Randall Bal won in 24.11.
In Genoa, Zandberg finished third in the 500m backstroke (25.10s) and fifth in the 50m freestyle (22.56). George du Rand, also from South Africa, came fourth in the 200m backstroke, clocking 1:57.01.