Young swimmer brings home gold
The Northdene Preparatory School learner and Malvern resident represented Team eThekwini alongside with 324 other eThekwini youngsters.
TWELVE-YEAR-OLD Caleb O’Brien returned home with eight gold medals after participating in the annual South African Local Government Association (SALGA) games in December last year.
The sport event, which is now in its 15th year, was held in Kokstad between 4 to 10 December and saw 11 KwaZulu-Natal municipalities gather for some good-spirited competition.
The event comprised of 15 sporting codes – athletics, basketball, boxing, cricket, dance, football, golf, indigenous games, karate, netball, rugby, swimming, table tennis, tennis and volleyball.
The Northdene Preparatory School pupil and Malvern resident represented Team eThekwini alongside with 324 other eThekwini youngsters.
His sporting code was swimming in which he has always excelled. Caleb was chosen to be part of the eThekwini swimming squad after he took part in a provincial gala in August last year.
Under the watchful eyes of coaches Mxolisi Zungu and Bhekisisa Nhlumayo, Caleb and his team mates trained for two hours every Saturday and Sunday for three months in preparation for the anticipated games.
Hard work seemed to have paid off for Team eThekwini as they not only came in first place for swimming but in a few other sporting codes as well. Caleb participated in 12 events – freestyle 50m (gold), freestyle 100m (gold), freestyle 200m (silver), breaststroke 50m (silver), breaststroke 100m (gold), breaststroke 200m (gold), backstroke 50m (gold), backstroke 100m (gold), butterfly 50m (no medal), individual medley 200m (gold), freestyle relay 200m (silver) and medley relay 200m (gold).
Caleb was named best overall swimmer in his age group with a total of 214 points.
