OPINION: South Africa in search of next swimming superstar

Since our readmission to international sport in the early ’90s, South Africa has been blessed with world-class swimmers.

The likes of Penny Heyns, Roland Schoeman, Cameron van der Burgh, Chad le Clos and Tatjana Smith have done well to carry the national flag at the highest level, breaking world records and winning world and Olympic titles.

As a nation, we don’t have tremendous depth in the pool, but we’ve always had superstars.

However, with Smith having retired after last year’s Olympics, and Le Clos past his best, the question now stands: Who will be next?

Rising stars

We’ve had some swimmers who have looked ready to take the baton, with Matthew Sates and Lara van Niekerk (both 21) having won World Championships medals in 2022.

Both can still achieve their full potential, but Sates and Van Niekerk haven’t quite reached the heights we might have hoped from them over the last couple of years.

Pieter Coetze also looks to be a world beater and the 20-year-old prospect earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in Doha last year.

Coetze, however, wasn’t as competitive as we might have liked at last year’s Olympic Games and there are questions about whether he has the same sort of big match temperament that we saw from Le Clos, who showed similar versatility.

National championships

At the SA Swimming Championships in Gqeberha this week, Coetze is the headline act and Sates will also have a chance to shine (Van Niekerk is not participating while recovering from injury).

It will be an opportunity, however, for some younger swimmers to stick up their hands and showcase their ability as we look to the next generation for our next superstar.

Later this year, at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, we’ll get a much better idea of who to watch for in the build-up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Singapore. Hopefully the likes of Coetze, Sates and Van Niekerk shine on that stage.

But this week will be a precursor to the global showpiece, with swimmers aiming for qualifying standards in their respective events, so it will be interesting to see which younger athletes stand up and deliver.

It’s still unclear when we’ll find our next global superstar who can beat the international elite.

Over the last few decades it has become evident that we have the talent. Until we find the next SA legend, we’ll just have to wait, and watch, and hope.