Ricardo overjoyed to represent SA youth team
The games have, in the past years, seen the development of Olympic champions Caster Semenya and 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk.
Atlasville swimmer Ricardo Di Domenico has been selected to represent the South African Youth team to feature at the eighth edition of the Africa Union Sports Council Region 5 u-20 Games, previously known as the Zone VI Games, to be held between December 7 and 16 in Botswana.
SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) recently named the 220-strong member unit from nine sporting codes made up of athletics (including visually impaired), basketball, boxing, football, judo, netball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
Among the selected athletes included swimmer di Domenico’s whose feeling, he said, left him overjoyed.
“The team sheet got sent out on November 14. I was extremely happy and overwhelmed to see I was selected. Prior to this, I had never represented South Africa. I’m excited to finally wear the famous green cap of South Africa,” he said.
According to di Domenico, the selection process is anonymous. Sascoc follows swimmers at galas.
He performed in the South African National Championships in Durban in August and in Port Elizabeth in April where he swam personal best times.
The St Benedict’s College graduate swam the 50m butterfly long course (LC) in 25 seconds, 200m freestyle short course (SC) in 1:50:18, 100m freestyle SC in 51:88 and 100 butterfly LC in 56:25.
His short course times were set in August while his long course times in April.
South Africa has in previous years dominated the games between the Region 5 countries which include Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland.
The games, which are held biennial on a rotational basis, were last held in Angola in 2016. Team South Africa did the country proud by retaining the first position on the medals table, bringing home a total of 123 medals.
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