Swimmers excel in spite of setbacks
Monica Botha claimed an incredible six gold medals.
Amanzimtoti swimmers excelled at the annual Westville sprints from 25 to 27 November at Kings Park swimming pool in Durban.
Two young swimmers took top honours in their age group despite extremely difficult training conditions.
The Clayton brothers, Franco (10) and Anthony (9), train at a local private indoor club and travel on Saturdays to Glenwood for a two hour training session with their coach.
During the week their father Ross Clayton, uses a programme provided to them by their coach for the boys’ training.
Anthony earned the top point scorer prize in the nine-year-old boys age group with five gold, two silver and a bronze.
His older brother Franco (10) earned a silver in the 100m long course breaststroke and bronze in the 30-metre breaststroke.
The Westville sprints was a hat-trick for nine-year-old Monica Botha, who participated in 2014, 2015 and this year.
At the sprints she set three meet records in the 200m long course individual medley, was the top point scorer in three age groups – eight and under and nine-years-old. In 2014 at the age of seven she set a new eight and under record.
Last year she broke her own record and this year she set a new nine-year-old age group record.
At this year’s sprints she claimed an incredible six gold medals, three silver, two meet records in the 200 individual medley and 100m long course breaststroke with five personal best times.
Monica is coached by her father Jan Botha and trains at the local indoor heated pool at the same private club as the Claytons.
Jan completed his level three American Swimming Coaches Association qualification this year.
“These swimmers continue to perform and deliver despite the lack of an experienced and qualified levels swimming coach,” said Monica’s mother Marinda.
Local school pools are booked by learn-to-swim instructors and the gym only allows one swim instructor at a time to rent lanes.
“Municipal pools are used by holidaymakers which is not suitable for training conditions, as they play in the lanes while the swimmers try to train. They lack heating facilities and have no starting blocks or lane ropes to use.”
