Tatjana puts women’s swimming back in the spotlight with World Champs qualifying time

STRIKING a blow for female swimming, Tatjana Schoenmaker became the first woman since 2013 to qualify for the Fina World Championships when she posted a qualifying time in the 200m breaststroke in the King’s Park Pool in Durban.

After two major championships without South African female representation, the 2015 World Championships and the Rio Olympic Games, Schoenmaker wanted to give local women’s swimming something to cheer about.

“I am very happy because now I proved to everyone that there are girls out there who can swim the times... and it is not only me, the young girls are coming,” Schoenmaker said.

“I’m tired of everyone asking what is the problem with women’s swimming; there is nothing wrong, so I proved that we are still coming and they must just wait.”

Schoenmaker has been on the radar over the past year, first posting an Olympic qualifying time in early 2016, but then missing the mark by 0.01 sec at the trials.

She met the mark at the Swimming SA Grand Prix Series in Stellenbosch in February, posting a new personal best of 2:24.93, taking a secondand-a-half off her previous top time. There may be a timing prob- lem, though, as the Financial Sciences student at the University of Pretoria is likely to miss the world championships due to her study commitments.

“I don’t want to miss too much of varsity, I really want to focus on my studies as well, but there is another opportunity at the World University Games (in Taipei) which is just outside of my exam times,” Schoenmaker said.

“It will fit perfectly into my schedule but otherwise the main goal is the Commonwealth Games trials in December.”

Earlier, Chad le Clos, who won three golds at the 2016 World Championships, declared “the king is back” when he posted his fastest time ever in South Africa in his 100m butterfly semi-final, confirming him in second place on the world rankings list.

It was a night of renewal as Le Clos showed his best form in years, while rising star Zane Waddell clocked the eighth fastest 100m freestyle ever by a South African with his time of 49.09sec.

Le Clos touched the wall in a time of 51.56 seconds, improving his season’s best by almost three-quarters of a second, and recording the second fastest time in the world so far this year.

Dominating proceedings, Le Clos posted his fourth world qualifying time adding the 100m butterfly to the 200m freestyle and butterfly, and the 100m freestyle times from earlier in the week.

“I didn’t expect to go that fast, honestly, I was just hoping to break 52 seconds, I went all out and I didn’t hold back so I am very happy with that,” Le Clos said.

“This is by far the fastest time at nationals, it is one second off my best unshaven, which is not too bad so I am ready to improve on that.”

The 19- year- old Waddell was left to fight a lonely battle after Douglas Erasmus and Brad Tandy, who posted world qualifying times in the 50m freestyle during the morning heats, scratched from the final and semi-final respectively.

Tandy set another qualifying time during the semi-finals ,clocking 21.99secs with Erasmus doing the same winning his race in 22.39secs.

Teenage sensation Rebecca Meder claimed her fourth senior title of the championships when she touched the wall first in the women’s 800m freestyle in a time of 8:49.49.

The 14-year-old has already won gold in the 1500m, 200m freestyle, and the 200m Individual medley while completing her campaign in today’s 400m IM.