Local Heroes
- Hits: 536
International Champions
International Champions of aquatic sports from southern Africa
International Coaches, Administrators, and Athletes from the various aquatic sports disciplines that were born, grew up, or have a strong connection with southern Africa.
Since the first athletes took up scholarships at the University of Oklahoma in the 1950s, numerous South Africans have moved abroad to compete. The diaspora has produced some international aquatic champions, including a Princess, a couple of Masters legends, Olympic triathletes, national coaches, an administrator, and even a famous environmentalist.
1976 South African butterfly champion, and British Olympian, Jon Jon Park, with his father Mr. Universe Reg Park, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
-
Natalie Steward
Born in Pretoria in 1943, she grew up in Rhodesia, and later swam for Great Britain. In 1960 she set a world record in the Olympic trials, and later won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. -
Cecil Colwin
International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee and Canadian Olympic coach Cecil Colwin was born in Port Elizabeth in 1927, before moving to the Transvaal, where he became South Africa's first professional swimming coach. -
Vera Tanner
Vera Tanner won two silver medals for England at the Olympic Games, before she emigrated to South Africa., where she married a teacher at St Andrews College in Grahamston. She also worked as a teacher at the College for ten years, between 1929 - 1939.
-
Graham Johnston
Former Springbok swimmer and Olympian Graham Johnston was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1998 as a multiple Masters world record holder. Still breaking records at age 86 in 2017, he died in 2019.
-
Lenie de Nijs
Helena Elisabeth "Lenie" de Nijs was a Dutch swimmer who set multiple world records, and who toured South Africa in 1957. She decided to stay in the country, and in 1958 helped the newly founded Eastern Transvaal province win the Ellis Brown Trophy by winning 5 titles
-
Jane Asher
Another masters legend - born in Nkana, Northern Rhodesia she attended Roedean Girls School in Johannesburg from 1938 -1947. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2006, having set 70 FINA Masters world records, and the first swimmer to hold all the freestyle world records - short course and long course - at the same time. -
Harry Getz
Getz was the president of the South African Amateur Swimming Union (SAASU) and executive member of International Swimming Federation (FINA) when he was named chief judge of Swimming at both the 1964 Tokyo and 1968 Mexico Olympic Games, despite the exclusion of South African athletes. -
Jonty Skinner
The world record holder from Selborne College in East London was a Springbok swimmer and surf lifesaver before emigrating to the USA, where he became an Olympic swimming coach.
-
Simon Lessing
World Champion triathlete Simon Lessing was born in Cape Town. He later moved to Durban, marticualting from Kloof High, after which he moved to England, competing for that country. -
Paula Newby-Fraser
Born in Rhodesian, Paula grew up in Durban and swam for Natal, before becoming a legend in the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, which she won a record 8 times. -
Mandy Dean
Amanda Büchner - or Mandy Dean as she later became known - was an Eastern Province backstroke swimmer who later became an international triathlete. With German ancestry, she competed for Germany at two World Triathlon Championships, finishing 16th in 1990. -
Jon Jon Park
Parktown Boys High graduate Jon Jon Park, son of Mr Universe Reg Park, set new South African records in the 100m and 200m butterfly at the 1976 nationals in Durban, before going to swim for Britain at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. -
Charlene Wittstock
The girl from Bulawayo, Benoni, and Durban won both backstroke events at the 1997 South African Swimming Championships, and winning the Swimmer of the Tournament Award. She competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, but her real claim to fame was marrying Prince Albert of Monaco and so becoming HRH Princess Charlene Grimaldi of Monaco.
-
Paul Blackbeard
The extraordinary talents of Paul Blackbeard have kept him in the international spotlight of aquatic sports long after he was considered to be the doyen of South African swimming and life-saving. In 2024 he still competes - in life-saving, Masters swimming, and open water races, mostly in Australia.
-
Simon Gray
Born in England, Simon grew up in Kimberley, where his father Frank was the coach of Karen Muir. Simon went on to swim and medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and represent Great Britain as the 1980 Olympic Games. -
Gary Brinkman
Gary was a Springbok swimmer from Amanzimtoti, who won three titles at the US Swimming Championships in 1984. His international renown - or notoriety - comes more from his actions outside the pool more than in it. -
David Lowe
Dave was a Rhodesian swimmer who won 5 gold medals at the South African nationals in 1977, before taking up a scholarship at the University of Houston. He became the first British swimmer to go under 50 seconds, and in 1980 he was part of the bronze medal winning British medley relay team at the Moscow Olympic -
Damon Kendrick
Damon was a diver from Natal - and a keen surfer - when in 1974 he suffered a shark attack that cost him an amputated lower leg. Undeterred - Damon carried on diving, making the Western Province team to nationals in 1979. Damon emigrated to Australia - where he participates in long distance swimming races - like the Rottnest Chanel swim and winning the 20km Geo Bay race in record time. -
Annette Cowley
She was born in England and grew up in Cape Town. In 1984 she was a South African champion and Springbok swimmer. In 1986 she unsuccessfully tried to gain selection for the GB team to the Commonwealth Games.
-
Lewis Pugh
Emigrating to South Africa at a young age, Lewis is a Camps Bay High and UCT graduate, and an environmentalist of international fame. He has swum in place few would have considered possible (or sensible!) - to the North Pole and a glacial lake on Mount Everest. -
Keri-anne Payne
British Open Water Champion Keri-anne Payne was born and grew up in Johannesburg in 1987, where she swam with local coach Di Williamson. She started swimming aged four, and was noticed aged eight by British Swimming's national performance director Bill Sweetenham at a training camp in South Africa. -
Corney Swanepoel
Corney Swanepoel hails from Potchefstroom and swam with coach Karoly von Torros of Vineyard SC in Cape Town. After his family emigrated he set national records in New Zealand, and swam at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. -
Glenn Snyders
Glenn Snyders is a Klerksdorp swimmer who emigrated to New Zealand at age 12. He won the silver medal in the 50 m breaststroke at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. -
Romina Armellini
Born in Johannesburg, Romina is a swimmer who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer - and survived, to swim at the Olympic Games, for Italy. -
Sarah Harris
Seri Harris is a Reddam graduate from Cape Town who represented both South Africa and the Australia in water polo, playing four years at the Arizona State University, before emigrating to Australia. Later she returned home to Cape Town, where she started a water polo academy. -
Michelle Williams
Born in Pretoria, her family emigrated to Canada, where they settled in Toronto. She began swimming at age 8, and represented Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games, where she was part of their silver medal winning 4x100 freestyle relay team. -
Jessica Pengelly
Jessica competed as South Africa's youngest swimmer (aged 17) in a medley double at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She emigrated to Perth, Western Australia in 2010, after completing high school, and in 2014 she represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. -
Libby Burrel
A former Eastern Province breaststroke swimmer, Libby coached swimming at the university of Stellenbosch, before moving to triathlon coaching. She was South Africa's triathlon coach in 2000, when the sport made its Olympic debut in Sydney, and she spent five years working with United States Triathlon. In 2012 she became the Canadian triathlon coach. -
Matthew Clay
Matthew Clay, born in Nelspruit on 27 October 1982, is an English swimmer best known for winning gold in the men's 50m backstroke at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. -
Kirsty Coventry
A former Olympic swimmer and world record holder, she is the most decorated Olympian from Africa, who lists Dean Price from the Mandeville SC in Johannesburg one of her coaches. -
David Parrington
Dave was a Rhodesian and South African diving champion, and a top rated diving coach in the USA at the NCAA Collegiate level since 1983, and at the University of Tennessee since August 1990. -
Evan Stewart
Zimbabwean diver Evan Stewart is the ONLY African to ever win a diving gold medal, at the 1994 7th FINA World Championships in Italy. He competed in three consecutive Olympics, starting in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
-
Jane Figueiredo
A former Rhodesian diver, NCAA medallist, who has become one of the leading diving coaches in the world.
-
Phillip Seidler
Phillip is a Namibian who the 10 km bronze medal at the 2021 South African Open Water Swimming Olympic Trials, and qualified to compete in the 2021 and 2024 Olympics.
-
Tim Shead
ISHOF inductee, Tim has set 32 Masters swimming world records. He moved from the USA to Cape Town in 1983.
-
Cameron Bellamy
A native of South Africa, Bellamy is one of the world’s great endurance athletes. In 2015, Cameron was part of the first team to row from Australia to Africa. In June 2018, he became only the 11th person (and the first from Africa) to complete the Oceans Seven swims.
-
Tamsin Cook
Born in Cape Town before moving to Perth, Tamsin has won two Olympic medals for Australia.
-
Ram Barkai
Born in Israel Ram moved to Cape Town in 1996 and first experienced cold open water swimming. He is the founder of the International Ice Swimming Association.
- Hits: 3718
Disabled Swimmers
Disabled Swimmers
The most notable disabled swimming champion in South Africa is probably Natalie du Toit (above). At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Natalie proved that disabled swimming was part of the sport of competitive swimming at the highest level when she competed against able-bodied swimmers in the Olympic 10km open water marathon event. Natalie won 13 Paralympic gold medals (2004 - 2012).
The Paralympian story started many years before Natalie's successes. Disabled swimmers from South Africa have set numerous world records, but the early (pre-1992) history of paraplegic/disabled sports in South Africa is largely unknown to the public today (2024) although some newspaper archives contain published results of paraplegic/paralympic sports. Even the results from the International Stoke Mandeville Games (1948-59) do not seem to exist.
The history of disabled swimming in South Africa must also acknowledge the work done by coaches and swimming clubs. The early champions seem to have developed at the Elizabeth Conradie School in Kimberley and the Hope School in Johannesburg, where Tadhg Slattery is a coach.
A detailed set of South African medal results is listed at the end of this page.
A history of the International Paralympic Games →
One of the earliest para swimmers from South Africa was probably Neville Cohen. In 1956 Neville Cohen won the breaststroke final at the Stoke Mandeville Games. Read more about Neville here...
In November 1964 South Africa sent a team to the 1964 Paralympic Games. Paradoxically, South Africa began to compete at the Paralympics after being barred from participating in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964.
Gordon Popperwell (Western Province) won a silver medal in breaststroke, while in the women's events, A. Somerset won a gold and two silver medals and N. Thesen won a bronze medal. Rhodesians Lynette Gilchrist and Leslie Manson-Bishop won 6 medals of which 5 were gold.
Willie Nel broke two world records at the 1968 South African Paraplegic Championships in Kimberley and then won a gold medal at the 1968 Paralympic Games held in Tel Aviv. David Lewis, a pupil at the Elizabeth Conradie School in Kimberley, also swam in these Paralympic Games, winning two medals.
Despite setting two world records at the Games in Kimberley, Riana van der Schyff did not get to swim at the 1968 Paralympic Games. At the SA Paraplegic Championships in 1969, Riana set three new world records!
The 1972 Paralympic Games, the fourth edition of the Paralympic Games, were held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from 2 to 11 August 1972, two weeks before the Summer Olympics were held in Munich. The outstanding athlete of these Games was Riana van der Schyff from South Africa who won four gold medals in swimming and two silver and a bronze medal in athletics field events (discus, javelin and shot put). Willie Bosch (1) and M. van der Riet (2) won gold in the men's swimming. South African swimmers, four male and five female, won a total of 18 medals - eight of which were gold. The Rhodesians won 9 medals - two gold - and Sandra James set a world record. She also won a gold medal in the Women's javelin throw.
Hester du Preez achieved set a world record at the 1978 South African Games in Bloemfontein.
1976 was the last time the Springbok Paralympians were allowed to compete at the Games, even though the Rhodesians were refused visas to enter Canada. M. Schaefer won bronze in women's backstroke while M. van der Riet (first name unknown) won two silver medals and a bronze with J. Crouse also winning a second-place silver medal.
The Netherlands, the host country of the 1980 Summer Paralympics, adopted a motion declaring South Africa's participation in the 1980 Games "undesirable". South Africa was subsequently absent from the Paralympic Games until 1992. The Rhodesians were allowed back to compete in 1980 - as Zimbabwe - winning 4 medals in swimming.
South Africa was subsequently absent from the Paralympic Games until 1992, at which point it also made its return to the Olympics, where Tadhg Slattery (below) won a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke in a world record time.
Since the re-admission of South African athletes to international competition in 1992 South African Paralympic swimmers have won ten Paralympic gold medals in men's swimming, with Ebert Kleynhans winning three in 1996 and 2000. Charl Bouwer (2008-2012)and Kevin Paul (2008-2016) have each won two gold medals.
The women's won fourteen first places - Natalie du Toit (2004-2012) took thirteen and Shireen Shapiro (2008-2012) one.
Tadhg Slattery
1992 Paralympic Games - Barcelona
With the return of South African athelete to international competition, the country won only one medal in the swimming - Tadhg Slattery in the 100 m breaststroke SB5.
Jean-Jaques Terblanche
1996 Paralympic Games - Atlanta
Terblanche won a gold medal at the 1994 IPC Swimming World Championships in Malta, at the age of 14, and in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta winning a gold and bronze medal.
Ebert Kleynhans
1996 Paralympic Games - Atlanta
Ebert competed at three Paralympics winning three gold medals and one silver. His first games were in 1996 where he won the 50m freestyle in a new Games record.
Hendrik ven der Merwe
2006 IPC Swimming World Championships to 2022 Olympian
- Director of Business Development at SaltyLama
- Founder of the online Fitness brand Coach Legs.
- 5 x World Championship Swimmer.
- 3 x Paralympic qualifier.
- Head coach for Zwartkop High School.
- Head coach for Hatfield Christian Primary and High School.
- Coach for Hennopspark Primary School.
- Tuks University Club Coach.
- Motivational Speaker at various events.
- 2017 Mens Health top 10 Cover Guy finalist.
Elizabeth Prinsloo
1996 Paralympic Games she won a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle.
Elizabeth competed in both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Paralympics. In 1996 she won a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle.
Craig Groenewald
1996 and 2000 Olympian.
Craig competed in his first Paralympic games in 1996 where he won bronze in both the 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle.
Scott Field
2000 and 2004 Paralympian
He won silver in the 50m and 100m freestyle in 2000, and silver in the 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle in 2004.
Charl Bouwer
2008 Beijing and 2012 London Paralympic Games
At the 2008 Paralympics he won gold and set a new world record in the 400m freestyle.
In the 2012 London Paralympic Games he won the the 50m freestyle.
Alwyn Uys
2014 - the first Paraplegic in South Africa to ever complete a full-distance Ironman in a wheelchair.
In December 2014, Uys nearly died when he was involved in a motor vehicle crash, and became paralysed from the waist down. On 11 December 2019, Alwyn braved the swells of Table Bay and took on the 7,687m swim from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand.
Hannes Venter
2000 Olympic Paralympic Games he won silver and bronze medals.
"I would never have dreamed a medal," he said after coming third to Paul Barnett of Australia and Maciej Maik of Poland. "I came to Sydney ranked 10th - then after my heat this morning I shot up to seventh.
Kevin Paul
2008 and 2016 Paralympics gold medals and a silver medal at the 2012 London Game.
Since his final Paralympic Games in 2016, Kevin has transitioned into a new phase of his career, focusing on creating, developing, and working with Sporting Academies in the region.
Shireen Shapiro
2008 Summer Paralympics she won a gold medal and a bronze medal at the London 2012 Paralympics
At the 2009 Maccabiah Games, Sapiro was appointed flag bearer for the South African delegation at the opening ceremony. While Sapiro generally competes in Paralympic events, she competed in the open competition of the swimming events against able-bodied swimmers.
Natalie du Toit
2008 Olympics women's 10 km race she finished in 16th place, and in the Paralympics won five gold medals.
South Africa's Olympic Committee chose Du Toit to carry their flag at the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, making her the first athlete to carry a flag in both the Olympics and Paralympics in a single year
Achmat Hassiem
2008 an 2012 Olympian, Hassiem won a bronze medal in the 100 m butterfly in 2012.
“I feel that as a Paralympic Athlete, I have achieved more than I could possibly have dreamed of,” he said. “Paralympic sport and the Movement have given me so much to be grateful for.
Hendri Herbst
2012 and 2016 Olympian won a bronze meda in 2012.
At the 2012 London Paralympics Hendri made the finals for three of the events and won a bronze medal for the 100m freestyle; “dit was ‘n belewenis.”
Kat Swanepoel
2022 and 2023 IPC World Championship gold medallist and 2024 Olympian
Swanepoel was abruptly reclassified to swim against people with more physical function than she has, forcing her to learn a new stroke, and rethink her entire strategy.
Christian Sadie
Commonwealth Games and World Para Swimming Championships medals
2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, winning 1 silver medals in 2018 and a bronze medal in 2022.
Swam in 3 World Para Swimming Championships - winning 4 silver medals in 2017 and 2022.
Damon Kendrick lost a leg due to a shark attack, yet he still represented Western Province as a provincial-level diver in the 1970s and still does open water swimming races in 2024.
In March 1977 Coreen Swanepoel of Stellenbosch was the first paraplegic swimmer to achieve a Robben Island crossing.
In 2020, Alwyn Uys swam from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand.
(Click here to see a trailer for his movie - Against All Odds: The Alwyn Uys Story.
Terence Parkin, a deaf swimmer from South Africa, was born on April 12, 1980, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Over a 15-year sporting career, he competed internationally and professionally for 11 years. Terence’s accomplishments include winning a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics and becoming the most successful sportsman in the history of the Deaflympics since its inception in 1929, with an impressive collection of 29 gold medals, along with one silver and one bronze medal in cycling across 4 Deaflympic Games. He holds an astounding 50 Deaf World Records in both long and short course swimming, earning him the nicknames ‘Silent Torpedo’ and the Michael Phelps of the Deaflympics.
Taking a break from swimming, Terence ventured into triathlons and cycling, winning the World Deaf Cycling Championships’ 120km road race in California in 2005. Locally, he has participated in major events like the Dusi Canoe Marathon, Sani2C, Amashovashova, and the 94.7 Cycle Challenge.
Terence’s accolades include multiple awards such as World Deaf Sportsman of the Year (1997, 2000, 2001, 2005), CISS Sportsman of the Century (2000), SA Schools Sportsman of the Year (2002), and Gold Presidential Awards (2000, 2001, 2002).
His remarkable success is a result of unwavering dedication to training, spending countless hours in the water or on his bike daily. Terence’s relentless pursuit of excellence has set a benchmark for deaf sports globally, inspiring fellow athletes like Roland Schoeman, who marvel at his intense training regimen. In a notable act of heroism, Parkin rescued a young boy from drowning in 2011.
South African Medallists Paralympics 1964 - 1976
World Championships medals 1994-2019
Women
| Rank | Athlete | Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DU TOIT Natalie | 2004-2012 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | SCHYFF | 1972 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | SOMERSET A. | 1964 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | SAPIRO Shireen | 2008-2012 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | LOUW | 1972 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | SCHAEFER M. | 1972-1976 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Men
| Rank | Athlete | Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KLEYNHANS Ebert | 1996-2000 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | SLATTERY Tadhg | 1992-2008 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | VANDERRIET M. | 1972-1976 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | BOUWER Charles | 2008-2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | PAUL Kevin | 2008-2016 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | NEL | 1968 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | BOSCH | 1972 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | TERBLANCHE J. | 1996 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | FIELD Scott | 2000-2004 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 10 | LEWIS | 1968 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| VENTER Hannes | 2000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 12 | GROENEWALD Craig | 1996-2000 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
- Hits: 7101
1992 onward
1992 and beyond
Michael Phelps seems unimprressed by the South African's victory in the 4x00 Frresyle relay - depriving him of an expected 9th gold medal.
-
Penny Heyns
World Female Swimmer of the Year 1996 and 1999
-
Marianne Kriel
1996 Olympic silver medallist
-
Brendon Dedekind
Brendon Dedekind is the first swimmer from South Africa to win an international gold medal, at the 1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
-
Sarah Poewe
Sarah won two gold medals at the 2000 FINA World Championships.
-
Terence Parkin
He was the first South African male swimmer to win an Olympic medal, at the Sydney 2000 Games. Terence is deaf and uses strobe light signals to know when to start swimming.
-
Roland Schoeman
In the mid-2000s, Olympic Champion Roland Schoeman was on top of his game, winning several world titles, and breaking world records. Roland was still competing in 2024, at the SA Championships.
-
Ryk Neethling
Ryk Neethling was the first South African to compete in four successive Olympic Games. He won Olympic gold in the 4×100 metres freestyle relay at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He was also a Commonwealth and World Champion.
-
Lyndon Ferns
Along with fellow University of Arizona alumni Roland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling, and Darian Townsend, Lyndon provided one of the indelible moments of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games as the quartet won the Gold Medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay in a world record time of 3:13.17.
-
Darian Townsend
He swam for South Africa at three Olympic Games from 2004 - 2012. The highlight of his Olympic swimming career was the men's relay at the 2004 Athens Games, where he was the Englishman amongst the Afrikaners from Bloemfontein, Pietersburg, and Pretoria.
-
Gerhard Zandberg
A 50m backstroke specialist, and another University of Pretoria-based home grown talent, Gerhard beat WR holders Tomas Rupprath and Liam Tankock to win the 50m backstroke in 24.98 at the 2007 FINA World Championships held in Melbourne, Australia. He also won the bronze in 2003, 2009, and 2011.
-
Cameron van der Burgh
Cameron is South Africa's first home-trained world record holder, training at the University of Pretoria High Performance Unit. He also became the first South African male to win an Olympic Gold medal when he finished first in the 100m breaststroke at the London Olympic Games in 2012.
-
Chad Ho
Ho made history at the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome, becoming the first South African to win a medal in the five-kilometre open water swim, taking bronze.
-
Natalie du Toit
Du Toit has had a legendary career in the sport. On top of having an incredible 13 gold medals from three Paralympic Games, she's also the first amputee to ever qualify for the Olympics. In 2008, she finished 16th in the world in the 10K open water swim.
-
Kathryn Meeklim
Kathryn set a world record in the SC 400 IM at the 2009 FINA World Cup in Singapore.
-
Johannes 'George' du Rand
Another champion coached by Simon Gray in Bloemfontein, George smashed the 200 metres backstroke short course world record at the FINA Swimming World Cup leg in Moscow, Russia on 7 November 2009. He also won a silver in the 200 backstroke at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
-
Chad le Clos
The golden boy of South African swimming, Chad is coached in Durban by former champion Graham Hill. After winning two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Chad astonished the swimming world by beating the great Michael Phelps to take the 200m butterfly title at the 2012 London Olympic Games. At the 2013 FINA World Championships, he became the second man - after Phelps - to win the 100/200m butterfly double. In 2024 he has qualified to compete in the Paris Olympic Games.
-
Guilio Zorzi
Giulio won a world championship bronze medal, and gold at the 2013 World Student Games.
-
William Diering
In 2008 William set a new South African record (2:06.85) to earn a bronze medal at the 9th FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester. Later that year he also finished twelfth in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
-
Suzaan van Biljon
In 2008 she won gold and bronze medals at the FINA World Championships in Manchester.
-
Henri Schoeman
Coach Alisdair Hatfield in Durban was his swimming coach since age 9 when Henri won a bronze medal for triathlon at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In 2018 he won gold at the Commonwealth Games.
-
Zane Waddell
Coached by Simon Gray in Bloemfontein before taking up a scholarship at Alabama, Zane won gold in the 50m backstroke at the 2019 FINA World LC Championships.
-
Tatjana Schoenmaker
Holder of multiple world records for the 100 and 200 breaststroke - both long course and short course, Tatjana also won the 200m event at the 2020 Olympic Games.
-
Lara van Niekerk
In 2022 two World Championships medals in the 50m breaststroke event - a silver medal at the FINA World SC Championships in Australia, and a bronze at the World LC Championships in Hungary.
-
Matthew Sates
The Pietermaritzburg local has set a junior world record, won an NCAA tile, and in 2022 a gold medal at the FINA world SC championships.
-
Pieter Coetzé
In 2024 at the FINA LC World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Pieter won a bronze medal in the Men's 200-metre backstroke.
- Hits: 2454
Peter Williams
Peter Williams
Peter Rowan Williams (born 20 June 1968) attended Grey High School in Port Elizabeth, where he was coached by Tom Connell. Swimming for Eastern Province, Peter won the 100 and 200 freestyle events at the 1987 South African swimming championships. He accepted a scholarship to the University of Nebraska in 1987 - ten years before Penny Heyns would follow in his footsteps to Lincoln, Nebraska.
He set a new world record in the 50-meter freestyle in a Time Trial the day after the 1988 NCAA Championships, on 10 April 1988. Williams covered the distance in 22.18 seconds, knocking .05 off the mark held by Tom Jager. Even though the International Swimming Federation (FINA) did not recognize South Africa, it had recognized previous records by South Africans, notably the 100-meter mark set by Jonty Skinner.
In 1991 Peter competed at the South African swimming championships, held at the Newlands Pool in Cape Town, representing his old team Easter Province. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Peter fished tied 4th in the 50m freestyle. Tom Jager (USA) took the bronze medal in 22:30, although his best was the WR he set at 21:81, set in 1990. Peter's 1988 world record time of 22:18.
Peter returned to South Africa, where he set up the Waterborn swimming club in Johannesburg.
Peter, back at Grey High, with coach Tom Connell.
By the end of the 1988 season, Peter Williams could hardly be considered an overnight sensation but he was sensational. The then-freshman at the University of Nebraska had proven all season long that he was one of the top collegiate swimmers in the United States. But on April 10, he was on top of the world. Competing in an all-comers time trial meet following the NCAA Championships, Williams, then 19, stunned the swimming world when he set a world best in the 50-meter freestyle. His time of 22.18 made him the fastest swimmer in history when he eclipsed the old mark of 22.23 set in March by former UCLA national champion and 1988 Olympian Tom Jager.
During his first full season of competition, Williams was ranked high on the national charts, qualifying for the NCAA meet in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle. When the water had calmed in Indianapolis, the site of the NCAA meet, Williams had earned All-America honors with a third-place finish in the 100-yard free and honorable-mention merit in winning the consolation final of the 50-yard free for ninth place. He was also a member of the Huskers' 400 medley and 400 and 800 free relays that earned honorable-mention All-America recognition.
In all, Williams scored 25 of the Huskers' team-record 125 points in leading them to 10th place, their best-ever NCAA finish. As a freshman phenom, he began turning heads in December when he turned in a 22.63-clocking in the 50-meter free at the U.S. Open on Dec. 21. It was the eighth-fastest time in history at the time. In addition to the world's best, he has also posted times of 22.38 and 22.57. Prior to his arrival in Lincoln, Williams' previous best in the 50-meter free was 23.27, with a best of 51.91 in the 100-meter free. He has since lowered that to 50.72. A native of Port Elizabeth, South Africa Williams came to Nebraska as an unheralded recruit with a limited background in swimming let alone the sprint freestyle events.
Without the benefit of modern facilities near his home, Williams' training was much less than year-round. But while his training was limited, his talent was not. Williams won three gold medals at the 1987 South African National Championships and came to Nebraska with the potential to help the Huskers in three different strokes. He ended the 1988 season as the team's No. 2 swimmer in the 100-yard breaststroke after finishing fifth at the Big Eight Conference Championships.
However, because of his South African citizenship and his country's policies, Williams will be unable to compete in the Olympics and select international competitions. It's a fact that he is resigned to living with, but one that has not diminished his goal to be the best and fastest—ever. With Chapter One of his career now closed, Williams, now 20, has started re-writing the record books in the sprint free and has helped usher in a new era of swimming in Husker history. A top-10 finish as a team has put Nebraska on the national map, and individual success has put Peter Williams on top of the world.
Peter Williams swimming for the University of Nebraska 1988-89-90 [14-Time All-American]
|
Wikipedia: Peter Williams' 1988 time was officially recognized, but not as a world record, because South Africa was banned from international competition at the time.
Discussion:
...thru the last 20 years this has been a very controversial subject. The obvious case of this is when Peter Williams set the World Record in a Time Trial the day after the 1988 NCAA Championships on 4-10-88. About 15 days prior to this at the Nationals in Orlando, Tom Jager broke his own WR in the 50 Meter Free of :22.32 and went a :22.23 swimming against Matt Biondi who went :22.42 in this 8 swimmer heat.
Peter Williams competed at the NCAA Championships and didn't final in the 50 Yard Free and went :19.89 and swam to first in the consolation heat at :19.78 swimming for Nebraska. The day after the meet the bulkheads were moved back and swimming in a time trial 50 meter Free all by himself he went :22.18 to break Tom Jager's 15 day record. There was a lot of outcry about this swim because the SCY time really didn't match up to the LCM time. Tom Jager and Matt Biondi criticized this World Record if it were to stand. At that time South Africa was an apartheid nation and there was a rumor that the record would not count for that reason.
There were sensionalized stories about the conditions of the race and the swim was bogus. I happen to talk to Dale Neuburger about this about 4 weeks ago and he was there at IUPUI Natatorioum when this swim took place and said every FINA requirement was made in this World Record breaking swim. Peter Williams was not very big or tall and that would probably explain the reason why his short course swim did not match this World Record effort. FINA was suppose to review this and render a decision. A decision was not made by the 1988 Olympics and there Matt Biondi broke the record by .04 with a :22.14 and won the gold medal in the 50 Meter Free.
Peter Williams did not swim in the Olympics because South Africa was banned then. To this day the swim was never recognized as a World Record but remains in lists of the top 100 times of all time for the 50 Meter Free. Most people assume that because FINA did not count this as a World Record it was because he was from the country of South Africa and not because it was from a time trial. Others think with the public outcry that maybe FINA did not want to count this swim from the time trial as a World Record.
There was never a press release explaining any of this and it was just kind of forgotten. In the modern era of FINA World Records since 1957, Peter Williams would be the only swimmer in history to be discriminated against getting a World
.... As I remember FINA was supposed to make a decision on this but by the time they did, Tom Jager had already broken the World Record and it was a moot point. I am not sure if they ever took the record off the books. Rowdy Gaines, had broken the American Record of :49.99 held by Jim Montgomery in 1980 with a time of :49.61 in a competitive USS swimming meet. The next time he broke the American Record was at a time trial after the Longhorn Invitational in April 1981 and he went :49.47 for a new American Record but fell short of the World Record of :49.44 by Jonty Skinner of South Africa. On his second attempt at the time trial, he went :49.36 and set the World Record which stood until Matt Biondi came along in 1985.
http://forums.usms.org/showthread.php?9385-21-64 - search for Peter Williams
1991 - South African championships, Newlands, Cape Town. Peter Williams had returned from Nebraska to swim at the South African championships, representing his old team Easter Province. Seen here at Newlands with Larry Kreel and a Western Province official. Below is the start of the men's 50 m freestyle in the very shallow end of Newlands pool, and the finish shows his new national record time of 22,95. Bottom is Peter Williams in Eastern Province colours collecting his gold medal.
In March 1992 the South African Olympic Trials were held in the King's Park Pool in Durban.
Los Angeles Times
July 10, 1991
SOUTH AFRICA’S RETURN TO THE OLYMPICS
Getting Teams Ready to Be Toughest Task : Aftermath: Track and field athletes are ready to compete, but those in other sports face difficulties.
For 31 years, South African sports officials sought to get back into the Olympic Games, an arena that was closed as part of an international ban preventing South African athletes from leaving their country to compete against the rest of the world.
Tuesday, South Africa finally reached its goal. The nation is now cleared to compete in the 1992 Summer Olympics at Barcelona in July. However, South Africa’s first Olympic opportunity could come at the 1992 Winter Games at Albertville, France. Some Olympic officials have said that there would not be enough time for South Africa to prepare a team for those Games, which are only seven months away.
...
Peter Williams, who in 1988 swam a world-record time for the 50-meter freestyle (the record was not recognized because Williams is South African), said he learned much while competing for four years at the University of Nebraska.
Williams, who has returned to South Africa, said he discovered that being an athlete who grew up in South Africa made him different from others: His dreams did not, or could not, include the Olympic Games.
“After the 1988 Olympics, all my American friends approached me and said: ‘Gee, you must be so disappointed that you didn’t get to go to the Olympics. You must be so sad that your record was not ratified.’
“My response to them was that it didn’t matter. Here, you grow up without the possibility of the Olympics. You can’t carry on entertaining this notion that you are going to the Olympics.
“It’s not going to happen, and you will get yourself frustrated. If I had those thoughts and dreams inside my head, I would have been crushed as a sportsman.”
Today, Williams is allowed to dream.
Peter the Great, Part I
by Chris Morgan of swimswam.com - April 15th, 2012
On the eve of the South African Olympic Trials at the Kings Aquatic Centre in Durban, South Africa, all eyes (and diehard swimming result junkies like me) will be following the ups and downs of the SA results; who makes the team, who misses out, and who surprises! Those who have somewhat followed the swimming results in South Africa over the last decade will, of course, remember the “upset” 4×100 freestyle relay at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece; or, how about the great breaststroke performances from Penny Heyns, Terence Parkin in the 2000 Games in Sydney (Bronze and Silver respectively). Finally, nobody in swimming has forgotten the great Jonty Skinner, whose career was made complicated by the unforgettable Apartheid.
Unbeknownst to many swimming fans of South Africa, there has been a coach quietly yet methodically tinkering away with swim technique and training theories for the past 15 years. His name is Peter Williams. Peter was a swimmer, not a good swimmer…an AMAZING swimmer. He was once the worlds’ fastest man! On April 10th, 1988, Peter broke the World Record in the 50m freestyle. His time of 22.18 is still considered fast when compared to all the crazy “suit enhanced” times of the last few years. Unfortunately, as was the case earlier on with Jonty Skinner, the political situation in South Africa prevented Peter from attending the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea in the summer of 1988. The only appearance Peter made at the 1988 Games was in the whisperings and conversations of some coaches and top swimmers that Peter’s time was, “the time to beat!”
Not long after, Peter had a short, yet successful career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (when they still had a men’s swimming team). He received a scholarship, swam for the team, and reached the NCAA finals. In 1992, with the fall of Apartheid, Peter was finally able to go for GOLD during the Barcelona Games in Spain–result…4th place, the “chocolate medal.” This unfortunate result, however, probably sparked the journey which Peter would undertake…the next 5 years Peter would dabble in the world of coaching, and fortunately, for a privileged group of athletes, especially 2 young men, Peter would find his calling with a small club in Johannesburg, South Africa named WATERBORN…
Peter the Great, Part II
The first time I met Peter Williams was in 2003 at the Summer National Championships in Switzerland. He was there to support his young, but very talented 200 freestyle swimmer, named Dominik Meichtry (“Dom” as most people call him, is a Swiss Citizen but trained exclusively with Peter in Johannesburg from 2000 to 2005). I enjoyed talking with Peter about swimming; his ideas were interesting and refreshing. We made a plan to speak more, but unfortunately, Peter would have to rush back to South Africa to rejoin his team. This was a definite missed opportunity for me. I would meet up with Peter again during the preparation camp for the 2004 Athens Olympics. This camp was held in a beautiful part of Switzerland on the shores of the Lago Maggiore. I found Peter at the pool during a rest period for the athletes. He was alone in the pool…swimming. His freestyle was PERFECT! I could not believe that 16 years after he swam the World’s fastest 50-meter time, he could look so smooth…flowing and majestic.
I of course bombarded Peter with questions about swimming technique and more specifically, how he worked with Dominik. I listened to every word. While he was explaining his theory of freestyle and training, he referred several times to another young athlete he had on his squad named Jean Basson.
Dominik joined forces with Peter in 2000, and actually just by chance! Dominik (actually Swiss) had just moved to South Africa from Hong Kong. His father’s work brought the Meichtry family to South Africa and “Dom” attended a German-speaking school where he met another Swiss youngster named Gregory Widmer. Gregory himself was no joke in the swimming pool as he went on to split a 48.63 on the Swiss relay at the Rome World Championships. Gregory convinced Dominik to come to join his swim team and thought his coach (Peter) would accept “Dom” into the squad. Dominik first met Peter while on crutches after a severe skiing accident in Switzerland. Peter emphasized that his team was primarily “technique” oriented, and if Dominik wanted more volume, he should seek out another coach. Fortunately, he did not! Jean Basson was already a member of the small team in Johannesburg, and the two athletes would begin a journey together that has an almost “Hollywood” ending. These two young men, who would train side by side for all those years in a small corner of Johannesburg, would go their separate ways; Jean to Arizona and Dominik to Berkeley. They would on August 10th, 2008 do the unthinkable and qualify 1st and 2nd for the semi-finals of the 200m freestyle at the Beijing Olympic Games. (Dominik 1:45.80 and Jean 1:46.31)
Is it just coincidence that Peter Williams coached 2 young men to the pole positions–lane 4 and 5 of the Olympic semi-final 200m freestyle? The answer must certainly be NO! When you get to know this coach and listen to his passion for swimming and how it is more than just a sport, that it teaches us about life and its challenges; then you really understand the potential of this incredible swimming mentor.
Peter continues to work with some incredible young talents in South Africa, and though he has not always conformed to the requests of some of the administrators of the South African Swimming Federation, Peter is, and will continue to be as talented a coach as he was a swimmer…WORLD CLASS!!!
In a blog, just after the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 Peter wrote, “Jean and Dom choose to believe in themselves. They have each overcome immeasurable odds to achieve international status as specialist free “stylers”. In the crazy world of competitive chaos, they have created order and understanding. As their coach and friend, I am humbled by their conviction and faith in the Waterborn process. Life has affirmed the relationship between the three of us. We share an unbreakable bond. Jean and Dom have helped me complete one of life’s circles. Thank you!” PW
https://swimswam.com/peter-the-great/
Peter hails from Port Elizabeth where he achieved Top 20 World Rankings as an 18-year-old in 1987. He was awarded a full swimming scholarship to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. During his first year in the USA Peter broke the World Record for 50 m Freestyle (22.81). Upon readmission to international swimming, Peter placed 4th at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He was a multi-medallist at the Division 1 NCAA Championships from 1988 to 1990. Peter's unique understanding of the dynamics of the sport in South Africa has led him to establish the most successful club in the country (since 1997).
Over the past 25 years, Peter has proved what is achievable with passion, focus, and commitment. Peter's continuing drive is to select coaches to work within the Waterborn collective who are committed to superior coaching. Peter has represented South Africa and Switzerland at the International Senior Level as a coach on numerous occasions. In August 2022 Peter was the founding member of Swimpartners; a group of Elite South African Coaches who are committed to working together.
The spawning of a 'New Generation'
In 2008 Peter's Waterborn swimming club published this, quoted from a Supersport website:
Despite all the melodrama of the past few weeks South Africans, athletes, and the general populace, have finally realized what a monstrous event the Olympic Games is. However, despite controversy, there has been a spawning of a new generation of athletes.
South African middle distance freestyle ace, Jean Basson impressed with his mature, articulate and consise pre games interview on Supersport which was not only a credit to this talented athlete but to his excellent support mechanism that has been his extended Waterborn family.
His comments about progress and more specifically the advice his coach Peter Williams gave, knocked my sox off !
Good on you Peter.
Nice touch Jean.
After the semi-final of the 200m freestyle event, Basson sent this text message to Williams,
“How many people would have thought that Waterborn would have had two guys in the final of the 200 free at the Olympics? I know of three for sure – me, Dom and you! Congrats Pete. It’s a tribute to your awesome coaching abilities and what an amazing person you are! I am so proud to represent you and Waterborn.”
So mission accomplished and history will record that Basson went on to gain South Africas highest placing at the Beijing Olympic Games in the pool with a creditable fourth in amongst some of the greatest freestylers the world has known.
But where did it all start.
Peter has responded in the Waterborn monthly newsletter which was passed onto me and I feel duty-bound to share this with you :
"It’s a privilege to have watched an Olympic Games in its entirety.
During South Africa’s sports isolation, we were fortunate to watch any international events. My coach was Scottish and sourced BBC recordings of the Olympics which we would watch many months later (though always after training and maybe if the water temperature dipped below 10º C).
In 1988 as a World Record Holder I hoped to see my name on the Seoul Olympic events programme. However, a last-minute protest by the United States had Tom Jager’s name reinstated in the programme (South Africa was not an official member of FINA). I chose not to watch and instead applied pent-up energy into training that week.
In 1992 South Africa’s last minute (you have no idea) readmission allowed me to participate in the first international competition of my athletic career. In order to stay focused on my event, I spent my time and creative thoughts in Barcelona’s art museums rather than get caught up in the catastrophe that was taking place in the South African residence in the Olympic Village (some of our relays and individual entries had been omitted). I had a great time in the best city in the world and was proud of my performance despite not having trained much during my 3 years prior to Barcelona (I had stopped swimming owing to injuries and insufficient means or motive to continue training).
I missed the 1996 Atlanta Olympics despite having achieved the qualifying time. I was unfairly victimized for publicly criticizing Swimming South Africa and N.O.C.S.A.. I was subsequently victimized by being unlawfully banned from competitions during my build-up to Olympic Trials owing to an article I had written commenting on the pedantic Olympic support programme. While many of my friends from all over the world were competing, I treated myself to a trans-continental road trip cruise across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, the Pacific North West and Alaska. Treat yourself to something similar at least once in your lifetime…..
By 1997 I was coaching and promised myself to not watch any international swimming event until one of my swimmers was participating. Sydney 2000 was a yawn since my training programme had not yet produced a qualifier (can anyone tell me something interesting about Australia?). Besides I lived in a commune with mates at the time and nothing could have distracted us from fun!!!
By 2004 Waterborn’s 8-year plans had kicked in. Dominic Meichtry became the training programme’s first Olympian. The good-natured Swiss and generous Meichtry family treated coach and athlete to 3 months in Europe before the Olympics. Dom and I enjoyed a unique life opportunity to share a special period of our lives together. I traveled to Athens solo where Dom achieved a semi-final in the 200m Free. Happily I saw the S.A. 4 x 100m freestyle World-Record and Olympic gold performance after having humorously argued with the American relay coach shortly beforehand that they stood no chance against South Africa. Not to be outdone though, or underdone, I celebrated in fine style at the Zurich Love Parade with 1.5 million other highly spirited folk.
The 2008 Olympic games however had me glued to the television, albeit at 4 a.m.
The Beijing Olympics has been the most significant international swimming event in history. The quality of athletes participating, depth in performance, World and Olympic Records and of course Michael Phelps’ superhuman effort have left the international swimming fraternity agasp; with good reason. The sport of swimming has experienced a watershed event. Never again will a swimmer be internationally competitive purely because of physical talent. Swimming has been a late arrival in the world of professional sport but has announced its arrival in an unprecedented and mind-blowing style.
South Africans (athletes and the general populace) have finally realized what a monstrous event the Olympic Games is.
And amidst all the melodrama of the past few weeks two extremely calm and collected, well prepared, and well-rehearsed young Waterborn 200m freestylers Cooley went about their races with the maturity of post gold-medalist world record holders. Dom and Jean have quietly become the 7th and 8th fastest 200m freestyle performers of all time.
You may be excited by an All-Black / South African encounter or some other sporting event. Fortunately, I realized early in my coaching life that watching one’s protégé outperform themselves, at whatever level of competition, is the biggest thrill.
So, despite numerous debates in the public arena about malcontent amongst administrators, coaches and athletes, inadequate financial resources, mismanagement, false confidence, under-preparedness and disorganization, Waterborn’s two undersized 200m freestyle specialists maintained their focus throughout and sensibly managed their emotional intensity with the good sense Waterborn and their respective families have instilled in their competitive psyche.
By consistently applying great technique, developing a healthy self-esteem and positive attitude towards overcoming life’s obstacles, rehearsing superior race-strategy and following a well-planned, structured scientific-based training programme you can upset the world’s best, and ultimately outperform yourself.
Nothing beats positive life-force……it costs nothing, and everything you put into sustaining it makes you stronger and wiser for the next life challenge.
Jean and Dom choose to believe in themselves. They have each overcome immeasurable odds to achieve international status as specialist free “stylers”. In the crazy world of competitive chaos, they have created order and understanding. As their coach and friend, I am humbled by their conviction and faith in the Waterborn process.
Life has affirmed the relationship between the three of us. We share an unbreakable bond. Jean and Dom have helped me complete one of life’s circles. Thank you!
With kindest regards
PETER WILLIAMS
- Hits: 3043