Tough Tuesday for women as they chase SA records to get to Olympics

The women have it tough at the national Olympic trials in Gqeberha on Tuesday, needing to break national records in the two events on offer for the day, the 100m freestyle and 200m butterfly.

Aimee Canny was fastest in the women’s 100m freestyle heats, clocking 54.88, with Erin Gallagher, holder of the 54.23 national record, cruising to 55.40.

The Olympic qualifying time there is 53.61.

Gallagher has already swum qualifying times in the 100m butterfly while Canny is close to beating the criterion in the 200m freestyle. 

Duné Coetzee was the fastest in the women’s 200m butterfly by nearly seven seconds, hitting the wall in 2:14.40.

The qualifying time is 2:08.43, nearly a second quicker than Kathryn Meaklim’s 2008 mark of 2:09.41.

The men have it a little easier, but not by much. 

Chad le Clos and Matthew Sates have been below the 1min 55.78sec standard for the men’s 200m ’fly but the 100m freestyle is tougher.

Le Clos, South Africa’s second-fastest 100m freestyler behind Lyndon Ferns, is the only one of the current crop to have been below the 48.34 mark to get to Paris — but only twice, once in 2018 and the other in 2015.

Any other hopefuls on Tuesday night would be looking at posting big personal bests.

Guy Brooks beat Pieter Coetzé, Le Clos and Sates in their 100m freestyle heat on Tuesday morning, touching first in 49.64, the fastest time of the morning.

Sates and Le Clos were back in action soon afterwards in the men’s 200m butterfly, with Sates the quickest in a casual 2:02.13. Le Clos was second-fastest in a comfortable 2:03.04.

They will speed up considerably in the final but neither are under too much pressure because they have already achieved qualifying times in various events.