2024 SOUTH AFRICAN SC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, September 25th – Sunday, September 29th
- King’s Park Swimming Pool, Durban, KZN, South Africa
- SCM (25m)
- Psych Sheet
Several South African Olympians are headed to King’s Park Swimming Pool in Durban this week for the 2024 national short course championships.
32-year-old Chad Le Clos is among them, with the Germany-based star entered in the 50m/100m free and 50m/100m/200m fly events.
Le Clos is coming off a disappointing 2024 Olympic Games where the 2012 gold medalist missed progressing past the prelims in the 100m fly after contesting the event with an arm injury.
We reported at the time that Le Clos said he was already looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028 but stressed he’ll see how things transpire at the 2024 Short Course World Championships this December.
We’ll see how things shake out for the fly and free specialist this week as well as potentially across the World Cup circuit, although official entries have not yet been released.
Fellow Olympian Matt Sates is also entered in this week’s domestic competition, set to take on a massive schedule of the 50m/100m /200m/400m free, 50m/100m/200m fly and 100m/200m IM events.
Sates has experienced success in the short course format before, including finishing 3rd overall at last year’s World Cup Series. At the Short Course World Championships in the year prior, Sates topped the 200m IM podium and bagged bronze in the 400mm IM in Melbourne, Australia.
21-year-old Sates is the current national record holder in the SCM 200 free (1:40.65, 2021), 400 free (3:36.30, 2022), 200 IM (1:50.15, 2022) and 400 IM (3:59.21, 2022)
Additional entrants for this week’s RSA SC Championships include Lara van Niekerk and Rebecca Meder.
Missing from the psychs are Roland Schoeman, Erin Gallagher, Pieter Coetze, Kaylene Corbett and Aimee Canny.
Two-time Olympic medalist from Paris Tatjana Smith announced her retirement from swimming immediately following her Games appearances.
What’s happened to Matt Sates? He seems to go missing every major meet but aces every World Cup event
He is now back at his original training Centre so pretty sure you will see the Matt Sates that can swim 1:45 LC and 1:57 LC back pretty soon!
He seems to do well at the short course format
This guy’s career trajectory has been so odd. Hope he figures out LCM soon cause clearly he’s got talent
Can we get updates/recaps on the Chinese SC Championship going on so far?
As soon as we find results…
@CHNswim_fan has posted them. the best swim so far is the sun jiajun’s 21.97 50 fly
Well Sates is back with Wayne Riddin, under Seals Swim Club, ( returned after Olympics) . Wayne is the coach behind his World Cup Series wins, Junior World records and Melbourne World Short Course Title in 2022, where he swam a time only faster by the great Ryan Lochte! So it should be a fun come back event to see what Sates can already achieve between returning from Olympics and returning to Wayne Riddin.
Well Sates is back with Wayne Riddin, ( returned after Olympics) . Wayne is the coach behind his World Cup Series wins, Junior World records and Melbourne World Short Course Title in 2022, where he swam a time only faster by the great Ryan Lochte! So it should be a fun come back event to see what Sates can already achieve between returning from Olympics and returning to Wayne Riddin.
400mmIM? I could get behind that as an event!
Forgot he was around lowkey
I couldn’t believe he’s only 21