Three swimmers from Flamingo Aquatics Swimming Club recently broke three long-standing provincial records while competing in the Northern Cape Championships.
THREE swimmers from the Kimberley-based Flamingo Aquatics Swimming Club recently broke three long-standing provincial records while competing in the Northern Cape Championships, which were held in Kathu from December 7-10.
Caylin Gous, Dewet Gous, and Janco Grobbelaar each improved their personal best records as well as breaking the provincial records on the same day.
According to Caylin, she didn’t anticipate breaking a record. “As I was swimming, I noticed my coach telling me to push, so I dug deep and gave it all,” she told the DFA. Fortunately because of their rigorous training schedule, she was able to push harder. “In Winter and summer, our squad practices for two hours each day, six times each week. Outside of the water, I also work out at the gym and jog,” she added.
And what a push it turned out to be. In the 1,500-meter freestyle, Caylin not only surpassed Karen Muir’s 1968 record but also her own personal best from November of this year, beating her previous best by a whopping 37.7 seconds as she completed the 1,500-meter freestyle in 19:01:02.
“I now want to qualify for the Senior Nationals but I first need to swim in the Grand Prix that is taking place in Durban next year,” she said.
De Wet, for his part, claimed that upon learning that he had broken a record, he was overjoyed. “I swam to break a record when I dove into the water,” he said. “I prepared for it and gave it everything I had, and after the race, I discovered that I had broken the 800-meter freestyle record,” he added.
With this effort, De Wet broke Bertie Heyns’ 2004 record, finishing in 9:29.90, beating his previous mark by 10.36 seconds.
“I’ve already qualified for the Junior Nationals, which will be held in Durban next year, and my goal is to win a medal,” De Wet told the DFA
Meanwhile, when Janco learned that he had also broken a record, he was delighted and says that he intends to do so again next year. “I’ve qualified for the Junior Nationals, and I hope to medal there again,” he said. Janco broke Devon Steyn’s 2012 record, swimming the 100-meter butterfly in 1:04:70, which is a 3.22-second improvement.
Certainly breaking records is something each swimmer and the club they represent can be proud of. So when next year arrives, all eyes will be on our Northern Cape swimmers to see what records they break next.
