#TeamSA: things are going swimmingly
11 podium finishes
TIFFANY Keep started the gold rush on the dirt in the morning but Team SA’s swimmers sprinkled stardust into the water as they enjoyed a memorable evening in the pool at the African Games in Morocco on Wednesday.
Keep gave Team SA their first gold of the Games at the women’s mountain biking cross-country, after judo secured two silvers at the weekend. However, the evening brought a flood of medals as the swimmers won six golds, three silvers and two bronzes.
Coach Graham Hill couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he watched the hard work pay dividends in Casablanca. “You have to enjoy nights like these,” he said. “It’s impossible to pick out a single performance when it comes to excellence, but we had three swimmers break African records and then to see both the men and women win the 4x100m freestyle relays was inspiring. What a way to end off an incredible night.”
South Africa climbed to third on the medals table by the end of the day, with seven golds, five silvers and two bronze medals, and only Egypt and Algeria ahead of them.
The golds in the pool came from Erin Gallagher, Kaylene Corbett, Michael Houlie, Martin Binedell and the two relay teams, while Samantha Randle scooped two silvers and Christin Mundle also claimed a silver, and Emma Chelius and Carla Antonopoulos took bronzes. There is no Chad le Clos at these Games, no Tatjana Schoenmaker and no Cameron van der Burgh. Yet, the next generation is gathering momentum and the first gold medal of the night was delivered by the 20-year-old Gallagher, who broke the Games record in the women’s 100m freestyle, going from start to finish to touch first in 55.13, with Chelius taking the bronze.
However, Gallagher is no ‘newbie’. “It’s weird to be considered a senior in this squad,” she said. “I feel like a mom, I suppose I have been around a long time. I was in the national team at 15, but got injured for two years. It feels like a long career, but I’ve got more than enough time to still set my mind to it and achieve what I want to achieve.
“Tonight I went out too quick and felt it in the second 50 (metres). That’s why the time wasn’t so great, but the best part of it was sharing the podium with Emma,” she added.
Facilities inside the arena are more than adequate and there was nothing wrong with the acoustics either as the South African anthem rang out loud and proud six times during the course of the evening.
Binedell, who won the 200m backstroke, found the roof to be a bit of a distraction, but hastily added that “’it’s the same for all of us”.
In the Gold Coast at the Commonwealth Games last year he had the luxury of staring at the mostly blue sky but at the indoor swimming arena in Casablanca, the roof has a circular set of spotlights and country’s flags.
“It can be a bit disorientating. We backstrokers work off lane ropes, so it’s kind of misleading, want to follow the curves of the roof. In the last 25m of the third 50 I hit the lane and had to put in a big turn; after that had to stick to my process,” the 24-year-old said after winning in 159.03. With 14 medals in the bank – and swimming having the lion’s share on 11 – the pressure has been taken off the other codes. History has shown that when South Africa’s swimmers bring their ‘A’ game it rubs off positively onto the rest of the team.