Lonehill swimmer is ready for Slovenia

Lonehill swimmer Nicholas Malan has been selected to represent South Africa at the upcoming Austrian Cup in Lake Bled, Slovenia on 21 July.

He was selected for the upcoming 5km Open Water showpiece at the Open Water Championships held in Jeffreys Bay in March. Nicholas said, “I’m really excited. This means a lot to me and I’m really honoured to be representing my country in Slovenia.

“I’ve always been a swimmer and my dad was also a swimmer at school, personally I look up to swimmers like Chad le Clos.”

The 16-year-old also shared his aspirations ahead of the tournament, “I’m hoping to do well, get to my personal best but in swimming, it’s not about winning but improving on your time and making sure that you try your best.

“The preparations have been going well so far, I’m doing two distance swimming sessions a week and my four main sessions per week so I am preparing very hard and hopefully I’m ready come the Austrian Cup.”

Coach at Electric Eels Lynne Stockton said, “Nicholas is a hard worker. He puts 100 per cent into his work and is very dedicated. The way he has been training, he will do his best.”

Stockton added that Nicholas has also begun doing his triathlon. “He is still young but Nicholas is very gifted both in open water and swimming so going forward I wish him all the best.”