Six swimmers achieved Commonwealth Games qualifying times on the second day of the Bombela Concession Company SA Swimming Championships in Gqeberha on Wednesday.
The women’s 200m individual medley proved to be the highlight of the evening, producing a massive battle between the in-form Aimee Canny and defending champion Rebecca Meder.
Meder had already dipped just under the Commonwealth Games qualifying time by one hundredth of a second in the morning heats, finishing in 2:12.82. After a thrilling duel in the evening final, it was Canny who was the quicker of the two, claiming the title to add to her 200m freestyle and 100m breaststroke golds from the opening night of competition in a time of 2:10.90 with Meder second in 2:11.29 – both well under the qualifying time.
“That was a really exciting race. I knew coming into it, it was going to be really fun tonight,” said Canny afterwards. “I knew Rebecca was going to be there the whole way of that race and it was really fun to kind of swim with her, and I knew we were in it together,” she added.
While happy to have qualified, Meder wasn’t too happy with her time. “I wanted a 2:10. But I don't even think I'm fully tapered coming into this competition. The goal was just to get the job done… it's been good.”
There were also two qualifiers in the men’s 50m backstroke, with both Pieter Coetzé and Ruard van Renen dipping under the required mark. Coetzé took the title in 24.54 seconds after swimming the exact same time in the morning heats, while Van Renen was second in 24.93 seconds, just one hundredth of a second slower than his morning time.
Coetzé admitted afterwards that he was surprised to have swum the same time. “I didn't even warm up this morning, so I feel like I felt a bit cold this morning,” he explained afterwards. “I felt better tonight, but the 50 is such a strange thing, you never know. You can feel good and swim a terrible time or you can feel very bad and swim a great time.
“I don't really train for the 50, I train for the 200, so I feel like I'm not super consistent in the 50 yet, but it's a good time, I'll take it for this time of the year.”
A thrilled Van Renen added: “The 50 is always fun. It’s always just a splash and dash, so didn't expect much, so was just super happy… It's always fun to race Pieter as well. He is super quick and he’s been pushing me a lot.”
In the women’s 50m backstroke, it was 18-year-old Jessica Thompson (Top) who added her name to the list of Commonwealth Games qualifiers. The national record holder also already achieved the qualifying time in the morning heats with a mark of 27.94 seconds and then went quicker in the evening final, taking the title in 27.79 seconds.
Speaking of achieving the qualifying time in the heats, Thompson admitted: “I think it was such a relief, like I was really worried about getting that qualifying time. I’ve got it a few times throughout the season. So I think just getting it in the final and the prelim was a big relief and a big help for me.”
Meanwhile, Erin Gallagher also added her name to the list of Commonwealth Games qualifiers, powering to victory in the 100m butterfly in 57.36 seconds, just four hundredths of a second off the SA and African record she set at the National Championships in 2024.
“I had no idea what I was going to swim tonight. So to see a 57-low is very surprising and I'm very happy about that. [My coach] Rocco said, ‘Whatever you do tonight, you have to go under 58.’ So I was like, ‘If I don't, I’m walking home.’ So I’m very glad that I went under the 58,” she joked afterwards.
Other victories on the night went to Chad le Clos, who was relieved to reclaim his 100m butterfly title in 52.18 seconds, but missed out on the qualifying time. Karl Albertyn took the 200m individual medley in a time of 2:02.40, and Stephanie Houtman claimed top honours in the 1500m freestyle in 16:33.77. The men’s 1500m freestyle was won by Matthew Caldwell in 15:46.91.
In the Para events, Kat Swanepoel celebrated another national record. Having claimed SB4 50m breaststroke and S5 100m backstroke records on the opening night of competition, the former world champion set another new SA mark in the S5 50m freestyle on Wednesday in 44.04 seconds
“Last Nationals and many times in the last year I didn't think I was making it back. I’ve really battled my health and just so many challenges,” explained Swanepoel afterwards. “But the love of swimming kept me going through it. It was just to come down not expecting the times… or to be bogged down by that, but just celebrate life, just having breath in you and being able to do something that I love. And that was the biggest goal, so to be able to be swimming good times, I mean you just can't ask for more than that.”
Commonwealth Games qualifiers achieved at the Bombela Concession Company SA Swimming Championships 2026:
Aimee Canny: 200m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley
Pieter Coetzé: 50, 100m backstroke
Erin Gallagher: 100m butterfly
Rebecca Meder: 200m individual medley
Jessica Thompson: 50m backstroke
Ruard van Renen: 50, 100m backstroke
