Le Clos and Thompson dominate Day one of SA National (25m) Championships

Jessica Thompson and Chad le Clos launched the Bombela Concession Company SA National (25m) Championships in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday with impressive performances, each securing two gold medals in the 100m freestyle and the 50m butterfly events.

Thompson enjoyed a dominant win in the 100m freestyle, clocking in at 54.29 seconds, and followed that up with another strong performance in the 50m butterfly, finishing in 25.66 seconds.

"I didn't want to say anything, but that is kind of what I was going for. The record has been standing since 2018," she shared after her races.

The 18-year-old expressed her desire to break the national short course record of 25.54 seconds in the butterfly, a record held by Tayla Lovemore for the past seven years.

"But to walk away with two PBs, I'm really happy with that. I didn’t expect that, especially considering the block of training I’ve had. So I’m really happy with how I performed tonight."

Earlier in the year, Thompson showcased her talent by winning five individual gold medals at the 2025 Africa Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Cairo.

READ: Veteran swimmer Le Clos makes return at SA National (25m) Championships in KZN

On the men’s side, veteran swimmer Chad le Clos turned in a stellar performance, finishing well ahead of the competition in the 100m freestyle with a time of 47.55 seconds. He also secured victory in the 50m butterfly, finishing in 22.79 seconds.

 The silver medal went to 18-year-old Tai Pearson, who clocked in at 23.64 seconds, while 15-year-old Eric Kotze took bronze in 23.79 seconds.

"It was good, I’m happy. I'm in a really good space… I’ve only been seriously training under a proper programme for the last six weeks. This year I was kind of floating, so it's nice to swim decent and it’s great to see the youngsters swim really well," commented Le Clos.

The Bombela Concession Company SA National (25m) Championships continue in Pietermaritzburg on Friday and will run until Sunday.