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.

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.