The SA National Swimming Championships 2023, which will take place in Gqeberha this week from April 12 through April 16, 2023.
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The South Africa National Championships 2023, which will take place in Gqeberha this week from April 12 through April 16, 2023, will include competition from the best swimmers in South Africa and offer opportunities to qualify for the World Swimming Championships. The start lists include Roland Schoeman, 42, the three-time Olympic medalist who is taking part in the national competition for the first time since 2016. Schoeman will compete in the 50 and 100 m freestyle events as well as the 50 m butterfly.
Chad le Clos, a former winner at the Olympics, Worlds, and Commonwealth Games plans to compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly events in addition to the 100-meter freestyle in an effort to qualify for the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan to be held in July this year. Le Clos, 30, who has experienced a recent comeback of his career, arrived in the nation from his base in Germany the previous week and exuded confidence going into the competition.
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“Hopefully, we have some good results. I’m just happy to be here in a good head space, good body – and we’ll see how we go,” Chad le Clos said. The 12-16 April swimming competition is particularly exciting for Le Clos as he looks to compete in the 100m freestyle alongside veteran Schoeman. “The 100 free is a new event which I’ve been working quite hard on recently but understanding that it’s still a process. I think it’s going to be quite exciting. It’s great that Roland’s back, it’s really amazing that he’s still swimming at his age and I think he’s going to be good,” he added.
Other top swimmers at the competition include Pieter Coetzé and Lara van Niekerk, who were named Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the SA Sports Awards, respectively. Tatjana Schoenmaker, the Olympic gold and silver medalist in the 100-meter breaststroke, was defeated by Van Niekerk in 2022 at both the National Championships and the Commonwealth Games. She will face fellow Pretoria sensation in Gqeberha in the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke events once more. Coetzé, who won gold, silver, and bronze at the Commonwealth Games 2022, will compete in six events at the championships, including the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke, 50m and 100m freestyle, and the 50m butterfly.
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Matt Sates, who captured gold and bronze at the last year’s World Short Course Championships, will primarily concentrate on the 200- and 400-yard freestyles as well as the 200- and 400-yard individual medley. Sates recognized that each year of experience increases his self-assurance and his understanding of what his body is capable of. “Going into this year, I am much clearer on what works and doesn’t work for me. It’s always great to win national titles, so of course, I will be going for gold. But I really just want to put in some solid swims and times in preparation for the international season ahead,” Sates said.
Michael Houlie, a recent graduate from the University of Tennessee in the United States, is also hoping for a solid performance in the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke. In an interview, Houlie said, “I just had my last meet at the NCAA Championships and that went really well for the team and for me individually. I got a top-eight finish, so I’m really just trying to carry all the positives from that meet to this competition.” He further added, “It’s been a year since I’ve been home so I’m just feeling excited and really happy and blessed. I feel grateful that I get to compete on home soil again and see my family so this is the energy and the mindset I have going into this next meet… the plan is what it always is – to swim fast.”
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