Penny Heyns was a spectator when Tatjana Schoenmaker completed her first race of the national short-course championships at the Kings Park pool this week.
Heyns, the double breaststroke Olympic champion from the 1996 Games in Atlanta, shouted to Schoenmaker, the double breaststroke Commonwealth Games champion from Gold Coast 2018, as she exited the pool.
Schoenmaker had just achieved a 200m breaststroke qualifying time for the world short-course championships in China in December.
The 21-year-old swimmer looked up to see Heyns gesture her praise. Schoenmaker smiled back.Their interaction was brief, but it was apt given that this gala has appeared to signal the resurgence of women's swimming in this country.
No women qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but Tokyo 2020 should be different.
Schoenmaker, Erin Gallagher, Emily Visagie and Cape Town schoolgirl Rebecca Meder cracked qualifying times for the showpiece in China.
Before last night's session there were four female and five male qualifiers, including Chad Le Clos.
Cameron van der Burgh, who returned to training only three weeks ago after returning from honeymoon, is expected to push the men up to at least six before the gala ends today.
National coach Graham Hill said he hadn't seen such gender parity in terms of qualifiers for years.
"We've been criticised over the past two Olympic cycles."It's been on all the coaches' minds, I've been talking to them. I think the girls' drive is real."
Schoenmaker has witnessed the growth herself.
"I think we're doing very well compared to a few years ago when nobody was qualifying," she said after posting her third qualifying time of the meet yesterday morning, in the 100m breaststroke.
The women also delivered the most exciting race of the meet, where Meder fought hard to hold off the fast-approaching Schoenmaker and Marlies Ross in the 200m individual medley.
And Gallagher was the only swimmer so far to have achieved a South African record here, in the 100m freestyle.
Interestingly, of the five male qualifiers, four are not youngsters - Ryan Coetzee is 22, Ayrton Sweeney 25, Le Clos 26 and Brad Tandy 27.
US-based University of Alabama student Zane Waddell, 20, who seems to float on the water, has much potential.
He qualified early in the 100m freestyle, but he punched the water like an overexcited rookie yesterday morning after producing another qualifying time in the 50m backstroke.
Le Clos and Van der Burgh have dominated SA swimming for nearly the past decade, and the glory days of SA's women are distant memories.
Schoenmaker had just turned three when the last SA woman climbed onto an Olympic podium - Heyns back at Sydney 2000.Overall, more SA women have won Olympic medals than men - 12 to seven. But the men, starting with Terence Parkin in 2000, have won more medals, 10 to the women's eight.
Schoenmaker is being tipped for Tokyo silverware.
There's a possibility that she may not be available for the trip to the China showpiece because of her tough schedule at the University of Pretoria.
The B Com student is ploughing through extra subjects and wants to graduate by the end of 2019.
Her coach, Rocco Meiring, says it's about priorities."What applies to a professional swimmer doesn't apply to an amateur who's studying."
And if she does go to China, she will probably have to contribute financially, as will most of the team.
Swimming SA (SSA) CEO Shaun Adriaanse said the federation would subsidise a portion of the estimated R35,000 price tag for each swimmer.
The only exception would be the few who enjoy funding from the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee's Operation Excellence programme - Le Clos, Van der Burgh and Tandy.
This pay-to-go scenario is not new for swimmers, or for sportspeople in other small codes.
The national hockey women's players were in danger of having to cough up to get to the World Cup in London before a late sponsorship was sealed.
But Adriaanse pointed out they found the cash to send a group of eight young swimmers, including Gallagher and Meder, to Europe for racing experience.
And that investment is already paying dividends...