His grit and determination in dam swimming have seen him selected as part of a 10-member strong team that will represent South Africa at the Fina World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships, to be held in Hoorn, in the Netherlands, from July 16 to 18.
The Hoërskool Hans Moore pupil will compete in the 5km distance.
His coach at Boksburg Aquatics Saints Club, Wade Marshall, will accompany him and the team as one of four South African coaches at the championships.
This is Marshall’s second time going to the event as part of the coaching staff.
In 2014 he accompanied talented open water swimmer Savannah Barman (now living in the UK) to Hungary for the same competition.
Van Tonder has much admiration and respect for Barman and described her as “one of the best training partners” he has ever had.
With regards to the Hoorn championships, van Tonder is setting his sights on a Top 10 finish and is aiming to finish the 5km distance in just under an hour – goals which his coach believes would be a great return for the team and personally for the young water baby.
“You never know with Hein,” said Marshall.
“He is a swimmer who can go out there and either swim well or bomb out.
“So, it’s more about mentally preparing him and getting him focused on what needs to be done.
“We haven’t had much time to get him fit and ready, as we don’t have many open water events in South Africa, especially in winter.
“I would like to send him to Durban for some coastal swimming and training with the likes of Chad le Clos at Seagulls Swimming Club, to get more mileage in.
“I am also hoping to get him onto the 3km relay team at the championships, which is more of a sprint.”
Van Tonder has come a long way since his first dam swim in 2011 and he expressed his gratitude to his father André and mother Selma du Plooy for their unwavering support.
He described the announcement of being selected for the national squad as “such a shock”.
“I didn’t expect it, because I had such a bad swim at nationals in Cape Town [where he braved a shoulder injury], but still got selected,” he said.
“I had the biggest smile on my face – I still can’t believe it.”
He told the City Times that, in preparation for the championships, he has been working on improving his mental strength and stamina and has also been doing a lot of dry land training, such as skipping.
“I believe that it is going to be quite cold in the water there, so I have been preparing in ice baths and swimming in a colder pool at Benoni Northerns,” he added.
He lists Michael Phelps, Ryk Neethling and open water champion Chad Ho as his aquatic heroes.
Marshall added that his student’s selection is well deserved as he pushes himself to the maximum when he needs to.
The coach said that one downside is that the trip is self-funded, as SwimSA has not provided any financial assistance for the tour.
