With five months to go, SA swimmers have work to do ahead of Olympics

It was an unusual edition of the World Aquatics Championships, so taking too much from the results might be ill advised, but the reality is that the national swimming team’s overall performance does not bode well for South Africa’s medal hopes at the Paris Olympics.

A few things need to be taken into account.

Firstly, the country’s best swimmer was not there, with Tatjana Schoenmaker staying at home. So there’s that.

But in a season which features somewhat of a clash between the outdoor World Championships and the Olympics for the first time, Schoenmaker was not the only elite international swimmer missing from the line-ups in the Qatari capital last week.

And with relatively depleted fields opening the door for fringe swimmers to step on the podium and gain some confidence ahead of the Paris Games, only Pieter Coetze was able to take advantage.

Coetze pointed out that local swimmers were not used to racing this early in an Olympic season, and were still in hard training ahead of the multi-sport showpiece in July. The same, however, can be said for everyone who took part.

So if we consider all angles, suggesting that this ‘dress rehearsal’ edition of the World Championships is a direct reflection of what we can expect in Paris is short-sighted, but some concerns have been highlighted.

Off the pace

Lara van Niekerk seems satisfied with her progress after struggling to find her best form last season, but the only final she reached in Doha was in the 50m breaststroke, which is not an Olympic event, and she is going to have to find another gear over the 100m distance.

Similarly, Matthew Sates was unable to challenge for the podium, with a best result of eighth place in the 200m butterfly.

And though 31-year-old legend Chad le Clos did well to finish fifth in the 100m butterfly, likes Sates and Van Niekerk, he needs to go a lot quicker in Paris.

All that said, with medal hopes looking slim in other codes, the country’s best chances in Paris are still in the pool.

If anyone is going to join Schoenmaker in the hunt, however, they’ve got some work to do over the next five months.