|
Zandberg and girl trio shine
10/04/2008 19:05 - (SA)
Manchester - SA team captain Gerhard Zandberg, as well as the girl power trio of Pretoria University sports science student Lize Mari Retief, KwaZulu-Natal's Melissa Corfe and two-time Olympian Mandy Loots, showed the SA swim team the way as they qualified for semi-final action, at the Fina World Short Course Swimming Championships on Thursday.
Fresh from setting a new African record in the 100m backstroke the previous evening, Zandberg's determination for fast times was clear from the outset as he posted the 12th fastest time of the morning of 21.98 sec in the 50m freestyle, to move through the evening's semi-finals.
Retief clocked 26.71 - the ninth fastest time in the 50m butterfly heats - while Durban-based Corfe completed the 100m freestyle in 54.89 (the 14th fastest time of the day) to advance to the semi-final stage of their respective events.
Loots qualified for the semi-finals of the 100m individual medley with a morning heats effort of 1:02.12.
But luck did not go the way of Retief in the 100m freestyle, Riaan Schoeman (400m individual medley) and Shaun Harris (50m freestyle) who all did not qualify for the semi-finals in their respective competitions.
Opening ceremony
Harris, meanwhile, will have fond memories of Manchester having been elected by the SA team management to carry the national flag into the opening ceremony the previous evening.
"The South African swimmers have shown great character and team-work in a hectic week of travelling and competition," said Swimming SA head coach Dirk Lange.
"Some of the team luggage has yet to arrive at the team hotel in Manchester, but the performances last night clocked by Zandberg and Jessica Pengelly's fourth-placed SA record time set in the final of the 400m individual medley, as well as Cameron van der Burgh's efforts in the 100m breaststroke semi-final, have proved an inspiration to the rest of the team."
- SAPA
|
