Ryk delivers on his promise
Brad Morgan
9 December 2003
In the lead-up to the FINA Swimming World Cup meet in Durban, South African star Ryk Neethling promised he would put on a show for the South African public as the country hosted a World Cup swimming event for the first time. He delivered on his promise, winning two races and finishing second in four.
Neethling took victory in the 200 metres freestyle and 100m butterfly, with his runners-up finishes coming in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle and the 50m butterfly. His winning time of 51.90 in the 100 butterfly was a new South African record.
Neethling's University of Arizona teammate, Roland Schoeman, was also in scintillating form. The former world 50m freestyle record holder showed his fantastic sprinting ability in all four strokes, winning the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, and claiming second-place finishes in the 50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke. For good measure he added a win in the 100m freestyle and a second in the 100m
butterfly.
Together, Schoeman and Neethling picked up 12 of the 31 medals won by South African swimmers.
Hard-working Parkin
Hometown favourite Terence Parkin was also a busy man. He won gold in the 200m breaststroke, the event in which he won Olympic silver in Sydney, and added runner-up finishes in the 200m and 400m individual medley, while just missing out on a medal in the 100m breaststroke.
Parkin is a Durban native and is recognised not only for his exceptional swimming ability, but for his smiling demeanor - and for the fact that he is deaf.
While other athletes listen out for the bark of the starter's gun, Parkin looks to the side of the pool, watching for a light that will indicate to him that the race has started. Theoretically, he might gain a slight advantage from that start because, as we know, light travels faster than sound!
Star of the women's show
There was no doubting that
Slovakia's Martina Moravcova was the star of the show in the women's events. She entered six races and won them all, her victories coming in the 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 100m individual medley and 200m freestyle.
Moravcova's career record includes two Olympic silver medals, four World Championship gold medals and 17 European Championship titles, and it showed in the Kings Park Aquatic Centre pool.
Second only to Moravcova in results was China's Tianyi Zhang, who won the 200m and 400m individual medley, took second in 50m backstroke and third in the 400m freestyle.
Veteran South African star Mandy Loots was also a busy lady, claiming three thirds in butterfly and the individual medley, as well as two fourths in individual medley races and a fifth in the 50m butterfly, while young Melissa Corfe showed up well, claiming victory in the 200m backstroke, and taking two fourth places, in the 400m and 800m freestyle.
It was the
best ever field of swimmers assembled for a competition in South Africa, but here's hoping that next year, with the Olympic Games in Athens confined to the history books, even more of the world's top stars will be in Durban when the east coast city hosts a World Cup event again. After all, it's a great place to be in the holiday season.
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