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Tatjana Schoenmaker and Kaylene Corbett went 1-2 in the women’s 200 breaststroke Sunday to highlight a quick final day at the Swimming South Africa (SSA) Swimming Grand Prix.
Schoenmaker won the event in 2:22.70, with Corbett second in 2:25.50. Both already had clinched A cuts in the event, with Schoenmaker holding the fastest time in the world this season and Corbett having been 2:24.18. Third was Lara van Niekerk, who was second in the 50 breast to Schoenmaker’s time of 30.74 seconds.
The fastest times were produced on the women’s side of the draw. Rebecca Meder won the 200 individual medley in 2:15.43, an Olympic consideration time that she’d already possessed. The same was true of Emma Chelius in the 100 freestyle, who won in 55.59. Dune Coetzee won the 200 fly in 2:11.82, an Olympic qualification cut and near the best time of 2:10.89 she posted as a 16-year-old in 2019.
Mariel Van Jaarsveld was second in both the 200 fly and 200 IM. Hannah Pearse won the 100 backstroke in 1:05.24, an event where the top three finishers were clustered within two tenths.
On the men’s side, Michael Houlie showed some speed in the 100 breast, winning in 1:00.83. It’s an event where he holds an A cut.
Luca Holtzhausen got to the wall first in the 200 free in 1:52.16, one of three 1:52s in the race. Brandon Chapman outdueled Ethan du Perez in the 100 fly with a 54.67, .36 ahead of du Perez. Kobe Ndebele won the 50 free in 23.55.
In addition to the 200 IM and 100 fly cuts earned by Matthew Sates this week at the SSA Swimming Grand Prix, eight para-swimmers earned Paralympic qualifying cuts. Alani Ferreira (SB13 100 breast, S13 400 free), Kat Swanepoel (S2 50 and 100 back) and Christian Sadie (SM7 50 fly and SB7 100 breast) are each qualified for two events apiece. Cornelle Leach and Hendrick van der Merwe added cuts in the SB12 100 breast and SB5 100 breast, respectively.
Ferreira set the African record in the 400 free in 4:57.14, as did Leach in the 100 free at 1:09.54. Swanpoel set a national record in the 100 free in 1:52.77.
