Thompson, Van Niekerk shine on day three of National Short Course Championships

Jessica Thompson added two more gold medals to her already impressive haul on Saturday, bringing her total to five national titles at the Bombela Concession Company SA National (25m) Championships.

Thompson clinched the 50m freestyle title in 24.19 seconds, just five-hundredths of a second shy of the national record. She also took gold in the 100m backstroke with a time of 58.34 seconds.

Speaking about her sprint victory over national short-course record holder Caitlin de Lange (who finished second in 24.65), Thompson praised her rival.

“Caitlin is such an incredible swimmer, especially in the sprint free event so swimming against her I knew I had to be on my best game, top form and it was really nice having her next to me so I could get that extra push.”

Thompson described the quick nature of the sprint: “I think in the 50, you don’t have time to think – that’s the beauty about the races. It’s more just trusting in your training and you can’t think about it – your body goes into autopilot.”

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

VAN NIEKERK AND COETZEE SECURE VICTORIES

Meanwhile, Lara Van Niekerk successfully added the 50m breaststroke title to the 100m gold she won on the opening day. Her win comes after a challenging year of battling back from injury, illness, and disappointments.

The 22-year-old double Commonwealth Games champion expressed relief, noting her improvement from last year's world championships. “I can just take this as a positive. It’s faster than I went at worlds last year, so it’s baby steps. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so we’re getting there,” she said.

Van Niekerk is also finding her passion for the sport again. “I’ve just got back to why I started swimming in the beginning and I’m really enjoying it again. I love going to training every day and at least I’m enjoying racing again. There was a stage last year where I was scared of racing, so it’s good. It means I’m improving as a person and I’m getting back there.”

In the women's 400m freestyle, Duné Coetzee returned to winning ways, clocking in at 4 minutes 11.38 seconds. The 23-year-old, who recently moved back to Pretoria after finishing her studies in the USA, was happy with her progress under new coach Rocco Meiring. “I’ve only been swimming with Rocco for about two months, so I’m really happy with all my solid performances… This meet was just kind of to see where I’m at and what we need to do in training, so I’m very happy,” she commented.

MEN’S RACES SEE NEW AND FAMILIAR FACES ON TOP

Tai Pearson finally got his hands on two gold medals on Saturday, winning the 100m backstroke in 53.29 seconds and the 200m individual medley in 2:01.49. The 18-year-old was delighted to top the podium after several second-place finishes to the returning Chad le Clos earlier in the week.

“It’s been hard the past two days racing Chad in my events because I’m a butterfly swimmer, and freestyle, so I came second in three events and he came first, so I’m really happy with getting the double now,” Pearson said, adding, “It was a tough one, so the legs are definitely hurting.”

OTHER MEN’S TITLE WINNERS INCLUDED:

Armand Landmann, who claimed his first-ever national title in the 50m freestyle in 22.09 seconds.

Chris Smith, who took the 50m backstroke title in 26.31 seconds. He noted that he was "happy" with the time for this point in the season, despite being a bit more than half a second off his personal best.

Matthew Caldwell, who won the 400m freestyle title in 3:48.47.

Individual Medley Double for Van Heerden
Keira van Heerden made a return to the podium, completing an individual medley double by adding the 200m IM gold (2:14.79) to her earlier 400m IM title, holding off a fast-finishing Georgia Els.

The Bombela Concession Company SA National (25m) Championships in Pietermaritzburg will conclude on Sunday.