Meder and Nel break SA records at national swimming champs

Displaying the best form of her career, Rebecca Meder admitted she wasn’t shocked to break her own national record at the SA Swimming Championships in Gqeberha on Thursday night.

Meder touched the wall in 2:11.39 in the women’s 200m individual medley final, shattering the South African mark of 2:12.01 which she set when she finished fourth at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

“I knew I could go 2:12.9 but 2:11.3 was just wow! So I’m really proud of myself,” Meder said after the race.

“I knew coming in I’m the strongest, fastest, fittest and leanest I’ve ever been, so I knew with all of those statistics I should be the fastest I’ve ever been.”

Nel also in record form

Meanwhile, Olivia Nel also broke a national record in the women’s 100m backstroke, with the 20-year-old swimmer stopping the clock at 28.39 seconds in the women’s 50m backstroke, clipping 0.16 off the previous SA mark of 28.55 set by Chanelle van Wyk in 2009.

“I knew the SA record was 28.5 so I was really just hoping for anything under that. I’m just so stoked with that,” Nel said.

“I love my backstroke races. I actually haven’t been training too much backstroke this season, so I think to come and do really well, I’m really happy about that. I’ve just been really excited to race these events.”

In other events on day two of the national championships, Pieter Coetzé came within two hundredths of a second of Gerhard Zandberg’s 14-year-old SA record in the men’s 50m backstroke, powering to victory in 24.36.

ALSO READ: Coetze breaks SA record, Schoenmaker stuns Van Niekerk at national champs

Four-time Olympic medallist Chad le Clos also impressed, taking his 13th national title in the 200m butterfly.

He was pushed all the way by 19-year-old Ethan du Preez, who turned first for the final 50m, but in characteristic style, Le Clos stormed past to win in 1:56.05. Du Preez was second in 1:57.09.

“I thought I would be a bit faster, to be fair, but I always get nervous for nationals for some reason. It scares me every time I race here,” Le Clos said.

“I was just trying to go with Ethan and try be as flowy as possible. Obviously I got tired in the last 10 metres but my head was down.”