The opening day of the Telkom South African Short Course Championships at the new indoor GC Jolliffe Swimming Pool in Pietermaritzburg is certain to set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
The womens 50m butterfly will get the championships under way with a top class field, headed by 2000 Olympian Mandy Loots. But the up-and-coming challengers in her training partners Lize-Mari Retief and Lauren Roets, as well as Lauren Sparg and Donna-Leah Horsfall will ensure a tough battle for the gold.
And gold could come the winners way in more ways with Harmony Gold offering a half ounce of gold for the national records. Also on offer is some great prize money, with R1000 for gold medalists, R200 for runnerÃs-up and R50 for bronze.
The mens 50m breaststroke is set for a showdown between 2000 Olympians Brett Petersen and Terence Parkin, while the in-form Kurt Muller, a strong Louis Lotter and an improving Neil Versfeld will also challenge.
The danger man though, is certain to be sprint-ace Roland Schoeman who has entered the 50m breaststroke and he could well spring a big surprise here as his start is so much faster than the rest of the field.
Ingrid Haiden performed well at the World Championships in Barcelona last week and will be looking and continuing with her form when she tackles the womens 50m breaststroke. Up against her are her teammates Natalie Burke and Ziada Jardine while others who could feature are Lauren Dougall, Suzaan van Biljon and Nikki Ogilvie.
Schoeman will once again be the major challenger in the mens 50m backstroke where he takes on the more seasoned backstrokers in Alain Tardin, Jarryd Botha, Eugene Hulley, Carl Marais and Darian Townsend. But the only one to possibly topple Schoeman will be 2000 Olympian Simon Thirsk who is returning to improved fitness levels.
It will be a tough day for Schoeman if he races all the events he has entered as he then has to take to the water for the mens 100m butterfly. Again he is up against some tough customers in 2000 fellow Olympian Theo Verster, Lyndon Ferns, Stephan Ackermann and Fouche Venter.
The womens 200m butterfly will be the first final to be contested on day one, with Mandy Loots the favourite and Lize-Mari Retief her deputy.
There will be a lot of interest in the mens 200m freestyle where Olympic silver medalist Terence Parkin opts for a different stroke. A tactical race is certain here with Nick Wilson, Jeff Norton, Jean Basson and Darian Townsend should feature.
Teenage sprint star Lauren Roets may feel a little more relaxed away from the pressures of the Barcelona World Championships when she tackles the womens 100m freestyle. She will have to overcome challenges from Christine Swiegers, Vanessa van der Heyde and Donna Leslie while it will be interesting to see how a short lay-off would have affected Nicola Stanley.
The womens 100m backstroke will be without South AfricaÃs top backstroke in Charlene Wittsock. The result may well see the best come from Romina Armellini, Romy Altmann, Melissa Corfe and Monique Malan.
The popular Terence Parkin should be an easy winner in the mens 400m individual medley while Mandy Loots will not be able to take things easy in the womens event, up against an improving Erna Wedermeyer and an up-and-coming youngster in Bianca Meyer.
The womens 1500m freestyle could well dampen the performances of Melissa Corfe for the day where she should win. But a return to form from Maretha van Wyk will make her a tough competitor along with newcomer Velia van Rensburg and a national record is likely. Natalie du Toit could also feature.
The heats get under way at 9.30am and the finals at 5.00pm. The second day on Friday sees the same start times with the official opening of the championships and the new centre prior to the finals. On Saturday and Sunday, the heats remain at 9.30am and the finals at 4.30pm.
Harmony gold on offer in Maritzburg
Harmony will be offering gold as record incentives for swimmers at the Telkom South African Short Course Swimming Championships to be held in Pietermaritzburg from 31 July to 3 August.
In the build up to the 2004 Olympics, the focus on encouraging South African swimmers is high on the agenda of Swimming South Africa and its sponsor Telkom. They have teamed up with South African mining company, Harmony, to provide incentive prizes of a half ounce solid gold bar for any swimmer breaking a South African record, or a one ounce solid gold bar for any swimmer breaking a World Record, during the Telkom SA Short Course Swimming Championships in Pietermaritzburg.
"Gold incentives now could well result in gold around our swimmers necks in Athens," said Ferdi Dippenaar, marketing director of Harmony, "At Harmony we believe that a supporting role will make the difference."
Most of the swimmers competing for South Africa at the 10th FINA World Championships, will be returning to compete at the national championships at the new indoor centre at the GC Jolliffe Pool, home of the Pietermaritzburg Seals Club.
Another huge incentive for these swimmers to improve on their mediocre performances in Barcelona is that prize money will be on offer for every event. Sponsors have done their part in allowing a R1000 cash incentive to every winner, including Powerade, Pam Golding, Halfway, Sasol, Netcare 911, Midlands Caravans, St Anne's Hospital, Nissan, SA College of Complimentary Therapies, Golden Horse, Blomeyer's Electrical and Hayfields Mall.
Roland Schoeman, Terence Parkin, Theo Verster, Darian Townsend, Lyndon Ferns, Grant Galant, Mandy Loots, Ingrid Haiden, Melissa Corfe, Lauren Roets and Ziada Jardine will fly directly from Barcelona while 2000 Olympians Brett Petersen and Nick Folker are also entered.
