Doha 2024, Africa Recap Day 2: Erin Gallagher Finals Appearance Bodes Well for SA Women

2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 11th – February 18th
• Doha, Qatar
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Official Entries
• Live Results (Omega)
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap

While a 7th place finish may not have been Erin Gallagher’s dream end to her 100 fly, walking away with a new personal best of 57.59 (from prelims) may be the strongest of silver linings. Her 57.59 is a new continental record, surpassing the 57.64 she swam at the World University Games last summer. 

Gallagher’s improvement and record are part of a larger trend for swimming in South Africa, where the women have been, until recently, lacking in representation not only among placings but also roster sizes. 

Looking back at the last few years of World Champs, there appears to be a trend of women not making an impact in the prelims or semifinals. From 2011 to 2017, only male South African athletes won any medals, with the heavy hitters being Chad le Clos and Cameron Van der Burgh. In 2015, South Africa sent only a team of five swimmers; not one was female. 

With so few medals awarded, though, it’s hard to use that statistic as a measuring stick, but still, in 2013, no female South African swimmer made the finals, and in 2017, not a single swimmer made even the semi-finals. 

Tatjana Schoenmaker Kaylene Corbett (photo: Jack Spitser)

But 2019 saw that change, with Tatjana Schoenmaker and Kaylene Corbett making the final of the 200 breaststroke, with Schoenmaker taking the silver medal. This result was a precursor to their 1st- and 5th-place finishes in the Olympic final.

With Gallagher’s recent improvements, South Africa’s strength in the breaststrokes (not forgetting about Lara Van Niekerk’s 50 Breast bronze in 2022), and the emergence of Aimee Canny in the freestyle events, South Africa is on the lookout for a backstroker to have the makings of a strong medley relay and a core group of strong female swimmers. 

Gallagher was not the only African swimmer in the water tonight, however. Teammates Van Niekerk took on the 100 breast semifinals, finishing 13th (1:07.25), and Pieter Coetze qualified safely into tomorrow’s 100 back final with a time of 53.07, sitting just .04 behind 1st place Hunter Armstrong.

NATIONAL/CONTINENTAL RECORDS THROUGH DAY 6:

• South Africa
  • Erin Gallagher: Women’s 100 Fly – 57.56
• Uganda
  • Jesse Ssuubi Ssengonzi: Men’s 50 Fly – 24.41