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Cameron shines with silver
11/04/2008 07:20 - (SA)
Manchester - Every cloud may have a silver lining, but SA swimming has Cameron van der Burgh!
For those who thought the Pretoria University B Com law student's silver medal-winning effort of 57.92 secs in the 100m breaststroke final at the FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships on Thursday was as good as one gets from the SA swim star, they have another thought coming.
"I went out really fast from the start and turned at the 50 metres mark in 26.74, and bearing in mind that the world record in the 50m breaststroke stands at 26.17, I am feeling confident of a strong challenge for the 50m breaststroke honours later at the championships," said van der Burgh, whose trip to the medal podium was the second of his career following his bronze medal performance in the 50m breaststroke at the FINA World Aquatic Championships in Melbourne, Australia last year.
"When I turned at the halfway mark I was just focused on retaining my slight lead because I felt strong, but I am really happy with my performance."
Igor Borysik of the Ukraine took the gold medal in 57.74.
SA team captain Gerhard Zandberg put in another superb performance, as he clocked 21.72 to finish third in his heat in the 50m freestyle, which earned him a place in the final - and he knows he can go faster.
It is not easy
"I was quick from the starting block to the water but misjudged the turn, which is something that I have miscalculated often in short course swimming," said Zandberg.
"It is not easy to see the pool markings and I left myself a bit short when it came to the turn, but if I can get it right, I know I can get near 21.3 which is what I will need to get a medal. I clocked this time at the Telkom SA Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg last year, so it is well within my grasp."
While Melissa Corfe (100m freestyle), Lize Mari Retief (50m butterfly) and Mandy Loots (100m individual medley) were unable to progress beyond the semi-finals of their respective events, KwaZulu Natal's Kathryn Meaklim ended the SA team's evening on a high note by clocking a new African record time of 8:25.53 in the 800m freestyle final.
Meaklim's previous continental mark stood at 8: 29.23.
- SAPA
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