It’s the swimming event that monopolises most of the world’s attention and for Durban North residents and synchronised swimmers, Kelly Slowley, Teal Muirhead, Lori Niemand and Akira Singh, swimming in unison is more than just a sport, but an art form.
The quartet recently returned from the FINA World Champs in Barcelona and the Mediterranean Cup (formerly the Comen Cup) in Andorra. For national coach and eMdloti resident, Kelly, the World Champs, ended on a high note as the South African team improved their world rankings by three positions. “It was an amazing experience. Though we had a young side, there was plenty of positives to pick out,” Kelly said. A former SA synchro swimmer, the 25-year-old feels her strength lies in coaching. “Having been a synchro swimmer, I feel has allowed me to appreciate the pressure of the routines and getting every detail right.”
Northlands Girls School pupil, Akira Singh, who was with Kelly in Barcelona, served as a reserve for the free solo at the FINA World Champs. Altough she didn’t get to perform, Singh, feels it was a worthwile performance. “To be the best, you have to compete against the best and I was able to draw on the other competitors around me. It’s such an honour to recieve your SA colours and I thoroughly enjoyed the champs. It has motivated me to push my limits and to train much harder,” Singh said.
Teal Muirhead (Our Lady of Fatima School) and Lori Niemand (Durban Girls College), who travelled with the SA team to the Mediterranean Cup, for the team event and solo event respectively. “We were quite happy, we finished ninth out of 10 teams there, but it was a valuable learning curve,” Muirhead said.
Soloist, Lori, said she was extremely pleased with her efforts. “I finished 25th out of 27 competitors and it was a personal best for me. It was my first international champs and definitely worth the experience,” Niemand said.
The quartet are part of the Syenus Amateur Swimming Club (ASC) and train at the Northwood School pool. For more information email wendys@randomstruik.co.za
