Zandberg Posts FINA A-Time in 50 Backstroke, Trott Posts World-Ranked Time in 1500

Two days down, and two FINA World Championships qualifiers for the South African National Team.

On day 1, it was Chad le Clos in the 200 fly. On day 2, it was Gerhard Zandberg who posted a qualifying time, easily clearing the 50 backstroke hurdle with a winning mark of 24.90. This puts him behind only Camille LaCourt and Randall Bal as the fastest time in the world this year. Zandberg is a veteran of the Senior Elite squad, which includes gold at the 2007 World Championships in this event.

Wendy Trott was the real star of day 2, thanks to her 16:22.57 win in the women’s 1500. This cleared the qualifying mark in that race by 19 seconds, and ranks her 11th-fastest in the world in the event this year. She will be joined in Shanghai by 14-year old Michelle Weber, who’s a distance prodigy of sorts. Weber will likely project as an open-water swimmer in the long term, but at only 14, will be one of the youngest swimmers at the World Championships (and with an automatic-mark at that).

Vanessa Mohr, who matched the FINA A-qualifying standard in semi-finals, was a bit slower in the finals (though she still posted a win) with a time of 27.00. She will have to wait for the Swimming South African final decision on whether or not she will be taken to Shanghai. The official SSA rules state that the ‘A’ qualifying time must be achieved in finals of an individual event to be automatically selected, but that “B” times (which her 27.00) will be considered at meet’s end.

The women’s team from South Africa doesn’t have the same pedigree as the men’s program does, but with young swimmers like the 16-year old Mohr on the cusp of the World Championships, the ladies seem to have struck upon that same sprint-magic.

Jean Basson, who is one of a large contingent of Arizona Wildcats at this meet, took the men’s 200 free title in 1:48.94. Though he missed the FINA A-qualifying time by 2-tenths of a second, I’d guess that he earns a roster spot on faith of his 1:47.4 from 2010. Sebastian Rousseau earned his second silver medal of the meet, thanks to a 1:49.65 in this race.

There are several swimmers who will be on qualifying watch in tomorrow’s finals competitions.

Roland Schoeman will surely earn his ticket in the men’s 50 fly with a top qualifying mark of 23.43. In the men’s 100 breaststroke semi-final, Cameron van der Burgh–the defending short course World Champ–posted a 1:01.54 to just sneak under the FINA A-qualifying standard. Look for him to blow that time away tomorrow to earn his invite. Rory Buck, who this year broke the NCAA Division 3 National Record, is the second-fastest qualifier with a 1:02.86 (a career-best time for him) and will be pushing to prove that he’s worth of a provisional spot tomorrow.

In the women’s 100 backstroke semi-finals, Karin Prinsloo was the fastest swimmer in 1:01.80-just a tenth off of the FINA A-standard. She will look to drop that time tomorrow and clear her way to Shanghai. She swam a rough semi-final double in the 100 free and 100 back, separated by only a single men’s event, and emerged as the top qualifier in each. Tomorrow, she will have better than an hour between the races, and will be looking to add her 2nd and 3rd National Championships (along with the 200 free from day 1) to her trophy case. At the very least, it should allow her enough rest to clear the 100 backstroke FINA hurdle on the second-half of the double.

In the day’s other final, more youth was served as 15-year old Tara Nicholas won the women’s 50 breaststroke in 32.59. Though this will not get her to Shanghai, it is a career-best time for her, and leaves open for a bright future for the 2013 Championships, perhaps. Suzaan van Biljon had the best overall time of the meet in the semi-finals, but the 2-years out of the water finally caught up to her in the final as she slipped to 2nd in 32.68. Don’t count her out for Shanghai just yet though: with her two best events (the 100 and 200) yet to come, she showed great early sparks, including a 50 time that was faster than she went in all of 2007 (prior to rubber suits and retirement).

Complete Results available here.