Star swimmer out due to funding

STAR backstroker Christopher Reid will be lost to South African swimming until 2019 – because of a lack of funding‚ among other reasons.

The finance student at the University of Alabama decided against travelling to the South African championships in Durban last week‚ which doubled as trials for the world championships in Budapest in July.

Reid‚ 10th in the 100m backstroke at the Rio Games last year‚ said the partial self-funding policy used by cash-strapped Swimming SA for international meets meant he could not afford the trip.

“My university does offer a special programme where it would cover the costs to one major swim meet per year. This is what I did last year which enabled me to come to the Olympic trials‚” the former Grey High pupil said.

“I did have the option to do the same thing this year‚ but the need to self-fund myself to world champs leads me to rather compete at the US Open long-course championships in August.

“I was looking forward to participating in Durban‚ as I feel I stood a very good chance of making it into the finals at world champs and doing some damage to my competitors.”

In his absence‚ the new SA 100m backstroke champion this week won in 56.52sec‚ more than three seconds slower than Reid’s 53.12 SA record.

The bad news for Reid is that the championships in Durban were compulsory‚ and that even if he achieves the 54.06 A-qualifying time‚ he cannot be considered for selection.

Reid said he would also have to miss the December trials for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast‚ Australia‚ in April next year because they were one week before his exams.

Reid‚ who will next be available only for 2019‚ is eyeing the 2020 Games.