SA swimming shines in Durban
Brad Morgan
23 November 2004
South African swimmers claimed 31 medals at the Durban World Cup in 2003. In 2004 they repeated that effort with another haul of 31 medals, but there were more golds this time around, 11 in all.
Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman predictably starred again, but Mandy Loots stole some of their limelight with a string of excellent performances that included seven South African short course records during the heats and finals.
Shattered the record
The 26-year-old, who seems to have been around forever, won the 200 individual medley in 2:13.06, which shattered the previous mark, held by Julia Russell since 1997, by over two seconds.
She also claimed three runner-up finishes behind Slovakian star Martina Moravcova, in the 100 metres butterfly, 200 butterfly and 100 individual medley. Her two third-place finishes, in the 400 IM and 50 butterfly, were both achieved in South African record times.
Speaking
afterwards, Loots said: "I've got a big smile on my face with this form …I'm ecstatic." She next heads off for World Cup events in Melbourne, Australia and Daejon, South Korea, full of confidence after her record-setting achievements in Durban.
After enduring the disappointment of not a single woman being selected for the South African team to the Olympic Games, it was also encouraging to witness the performances of young star Melissa Corfe.
African record
The home town swimmer set an African record of 4:05.61 in the 400 metres freestyle, finishing fractionally behind the USA's Sara McLarty in the sprint for gold. She also nailed down a victory in the 200 backstroke, and a third-place in the 800 freestyle.
15-year-old Claire Archibald, although her times were not exceptional, showed plenty of promise for the future in the breaststroke events, previously a South African strength when Penny Heyns and Sarah Poewe ruled the roost. She
edged out British star Alison Sheppard for victory in the 50 metres race, finished second to Tammy Laubscher in the 100 metres, and third behind Laubscher in the 200 metres.
The star of last year's Durban World Cup, Martina Moravcova, failed to match her six titles of 2003, but still claimed three wins, in the 100 and 200 butterfly and the 100 metres individual medley, to go along with a second place finish in the 50 butterfly, and a third in the 100 freestyle.
Schoeman and Neethling
Olympic gold medal winners Roland Schoeman and Ryk Neethling, who won 12 medals between them in 2003, picked up 11 this time around.
Schoeman proved himself a brilliant competitor in the 50 metres sprint events. He captured the freestyle in a wash of white water in a good time of 21.61, while he edged out a world class field, which included three world record holders, to win the breaststroke in 27.26.
German ace Thomas Rupprath edged out Schoeman
for victory in the butterfly, while the South African had to settle for third behind Rupprath and Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin in the backstroke.
His best effort, though, came in the 100 freestyle when he defeated fellow Olympians Neethling and Darian Townsend to win in a sensational African record of 47.12.
Neethling picked up two wins, both of them by a comfortable margin over the runners-up. He cracked the African record to win the 100 individual medley in 53.13, and took the honours in the 200 freestyle in 1:45.11. In addition, the former Arizona University star picked up three second places and a third.
Leading performer
Despite the strong showing of the two South African big guns, the leading performer of the three-day competition was the man who beat Schoeman in the 50 backstroke and butterfly. Thomas Rupprath won five events in all, adding other wins in the 100 butterfly, the 100 backstroke, and the 200 butterfly.
His form
was superb throughout, and it was only in the 50 butterfly that he was closely challenged. The rest of his victories were extremely convincing and achieved in world-class times.
South African winners during the World Cup were Roland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling, George du Rand (200 backstroke), Tammy Laubscher, Mandy Loots, Claire Archibald, and Melissa Corfe.
| 
