Local swimmers ready for Commonwealth Games debuts
The three swimmers all belong to the Seagulls Swimming Club and say they are ready to take on the world's best at this year's games.
THREE local swimmers are hoping to leave their marks on the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia which starts this week. Durban North residents, Emily Visagie and Kristin Bellingan, and Westville’s Martin Binedell are just three of 24 swimmers who will be representing South Africa at the games which start on Wednesday, 4 April.
For Visagie, a former Our Lady of Fatima learner and current student at Varsity College Durban North, the competition will be her first Commonwealth Games.
“I’m excited but a tad nervous looking ahead to the competition. I’ve represented South Africa at the FINA World Student Games, FINA World Champs Short Course, and FINA World Junior Champs but nothing of this caliber of competition. My goal is to better my qualifying times for the national team and to do my best. I’ll also have my parents and my younger sister who are traveling with me which is a big motivational factor for me to swim faster. To have them cheering on in the crowds will be fantastic,” she said.
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Her thoughts were echoed by Bellingan who said she too will be cheering on her fellow athletes.
“I will definitely be in the stands rooting for Martin and Emily and the rest of the team when I’m not competing. I think the South African swimming team has a great chance of medalling at the games. We know we will be up against some tough competition, the swimmers from Canada, Australia and Great Britain are all incredibly talented so we know what we have to do. For me personally I’m trying not to be scared or intimidated and I want to improve my times,” she said.
For Binedell, the chance of rubbing shoulders with some of SA’s top swimmers is an opportunity of a lifetime.
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“Our team is a mixture of youth and experience and to have guys like Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh on the team is fantastic. This will be my first Commonwealth Games so I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully finishing on the podium. I will take it race by race and go from there,” he said.
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