Finally, SA have a team to emulate Athens ‘awesome foursome’

A RELAY team with the potential to win a medal emerged at the SA Swimming Championships in Durban yesterday as Cameron van der Burgh, Chad le Clos, Christopher Reid, and Calvyn Justus qualified as a foursome for the Rio Olympic Games.

Set a target of 3:34 to qualify the 4x100m medley team, the four dipped narrowly below the mark as Justus, swimming freestyle, stopped the clock on 3:33.80.

Reid got off to a good start with a split of 53.52.

Van der Burgh was the star in the breaststroke leg clocking 58.95 before Le Clos posted 51.59 in the butterfly.

Justus had to dip below 50 seconds to give the team a chance of qualifying and the 20-year-old held his nerve with a split of 49.74.

“The main thing is that we’ve qualified, it is a huge thing for us, I personally believe it is our most competitive relay going into the Olympic Games,” Van der Burgh said.

Reid’s SA record-breaking swim of 53.12 during the 100m backstroke heats earlier this week set the relay plans into motion.

“The head coaches approached me two years ago and said we have the potential to have a really good relay if a backstroker made the step up and goes 53middle,” Reid said.

“I think it would be great for our country if we can pull off another relay win or at least a medal like the boys in Athens.”

Justus demonstrated bigmatch temperament in the 100m freestyle final with a new personal best time of 49.88 to dip below 50 seconds for the first time in his career.

“It is safe to say that was the most terrified I’ve ever been but when I heard the crowd going off for Chris when he got in, it went away and I was so excited,” Justus said. “It’s been my dream since I started the sport so I on cloud nine right now.”

During the morning session, Brad Tandy and Douglas Erasmus clocked qualifying times in the 50m freestyle.

Tandy clocked the fastest time of the day with 22.13 while Erasmus dipped onehundredth of a second below the qualifying time touching the wall in 22.26.

Roland Schoeman improved on his time from the morning clocking 22.77 in the evening’s semi-finals where both Tandy and Erasmus went fractionally slower.

Le Clos qualified for his third event adding the 100m butterfly to the 200m freestyle and butterfly when he clocked 51.81 seconds in his morning heat.

It was heartbreak for Tatjana Schoenmaker. The 18year-old missed the mark by 0.01 second in the 200m breaststroke final where she clocked 2:26.95 to win the title but lost out on becoming an Olympian.