12 April 2025 – Two more athletes secured their spots for the upcoming World Championships in Singapore after clocking qualifying times during the penultimate evening of the SA National Swimming Championships in Gqeberha. Reigning champion Michael Houlie and young talent Chris Smith both met the standard in the morning heats of the 50m breaststroke and confirmed their form by repeating the feat in the final. Houlie took gold in 26.90 seconds, with Smith close behind in 27.11. “I was really excited heading into this evening. I backed myself and knew I had the race mentality to deliver when it counts, so I’m just happy I got my hand on the wall first,” said Houlie, who had narrowly trailed Smith in the heats. “He’s still young and has massive potential—it’s great to have someone of his calibre to push me.” Another qualifier on the day was Pieter Coetzé, who raced to a time of 22.05 seconds in the heats of the 50m freestyle to secure the standard. Though slightly slower in the final, he still claimed the title with a 22.45 finish. “I wasn’t quite feeling it in the final like I did this morning—the 50 is all about feel. I was more relaxed earlier, and it worked out,” said the 20-year-old. “It’s not my most consistent event, but it’s always fun, so I was glad to grab the win tonight.” Erin Gallagher just missed the mark in the 100m butterfly, clocking 59.16 seconds to take the title, with Rebecca Meder finishing second in 58.95. Despite the disappointment, Gallagher remains hopeful for the 50m butterfly. “I should’ve been under the qualifying time no matter where I’m at in training, but I told myself I wouldn’t let my time define my happiness at this gala. My 50s are looking stronger than my 100s right now, so I’m hopeful.” Matt Sates claimed his fifth title of the meet with a 52.92-second win in the men’s 100m butterfly. Earlier, Simoné Moll earned her first national title with a 31.33-second swim in the women’s 50m breaststroke. She dedicated the moment to her training partner Lara van Niekerk, who is recovering from injury. “It feels amazing. I do miss racing with Tatjana and Lara—it felt a bit empty without them—but I’m so happy to finally achieve this,” said Moll. In other results, Caitlin de Lange clinched the 50m freestyle title in 25.02 seconds, matching her morning time. Matthew Caldwell added to his 1500m freestyle win by taking the 800m freestyle in 8:07.31. On the women’s side, Duné Coetzee earned the 800m freestyle crown with a time of 8:38.08. In Para-swimming, national records fell as Danika Vyncke and Alani Ferreira set new standards. Ferreira clocked 1:07.90 in the S12 100m freestyle, while Vyncke posted 1:05.04 in the S13 category. The SA National Swimming Championships at Newton Park Swimming Pool conclude on Sunday.
Photo credits: Roger Sedres/Swimming SA
For further information, please contact: Mafata Modutoane mafata.modutoane@swimsa.org or 073 226 5688.
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