Hill looking to add depth to SA’s swimming talent
THEIR split after 14 years may have rocked the South African swimming fraternity but Graham Hill says Chad le Clos’ decision to part ways was not a complete surprise.
Le Clos recently dropped the bombshell that he would part ways with his long-time coach, ending one of the most successful partnerships in South African sport.
Both still seem a bit uncomfortable talking about the end of the relationship but they also made it clear they did not harbour any ill feelings towards each other.
“When he came to tell me it was a bit of a shock but not totally unexpected, 14 years together, he is looking for a change and something new to do, and I wish him all the best and good luck to him,” Hill said at the African Swimming Championships in Bloemfontein this past week.
“He was here with us in Bloem where he swam a really good 100m fly, and we will still cross one another’s paths with me as the national coach and him being on the national team.
“Good luck to him and I wish him all the best for his future.”
Hill said Le Clos’ departure did not mean he was in a desperate search to replace the global swimming star and the country’s most decorated Olympian with four medals.
The country’s national coach said the challenge was to increase the depth of swimmers capable of making the podium at major international championships.
“I am always looking, it is not as if now that Chad has left I am looking for someone, I am always looking and it is whether the athlete is prepared to stand up and say: ‘I want to be the superstar, and I want to do the job’,” Hill said.
“It has been a problem for us on the swimming scene for a long time, we are able to create the ones and twos but we are never able to create a dynamic team where we can be really competitive.
“That is what we need to unlock, we need to unlock that for- mula where we go to a major championship where we have eight to 10 serious contenders contesting medals and put us right up there with some of the best countries in the world.”
The country’s top swimming talent have a busy year ahead with an international calendar that includes the Fina World ShortCourse Championships in Canada in December.
Swimmers will face tional trials next year.
“2017 will obviously be a very tough year, we have our trials in April for world championships, which is in Budapest, then we will have our Commonwealth Game trials in December of the same year,” Hill said.
“This will give us some time to select the team and to get some work in with some camps and other preparations before the Games in April (in 2018).
“It is going to be pretty tricky but to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, if you are really good enough you’d be able to swim through it, as some quality swimmers have done in the past.
“Come big events, they haven’t tapered to the full extent and shaved and still managed to qualify.”
South Africa will send an 18-member team to the World Short-Course Championships in Windsor, Canada, from December 6-11, which will include Le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh.