South African swimming qualifiers nearly double at national championships

Thirteen swimmers met individual event standards for Commonwealth Games, up from seven in 2024.

Thirteen South African swimmers achieved qualification times in individual events at the national championships in Gqeberha, which ended on Saturday, nearly double the seven who met the same standards last year.¹²

Eight women and five men qualified for individual events at the gala, compared to three women and four men in 2024.¹² The entry times for the 2025 world championships remained in effect for the Commonwealth Games, whose organisers have given South Africa 67 spots.¹² Swimming will receive 21 of those spots, with an additional eight berths dedicated to relays.¹²

Chad Le Clos, 34, won the 100m butterfly during the week, securing at least a relay position for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which run from July 23 to August 2.¹² "We are definitely in a good place," Le Clos said of the state of South African swimming.¹²

Dean Price, Swimming South Africa's high performance manager, said relays must be ready by next year when the team attempts to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.¹² Relays are a focus for the Los Angeles Games, Price said.¹² A brief camp was planned for Sunday to begin preparations for the Commonwealth event.¹²

A key factor in the increased number of qualifiers is that swimmers, particularly women, are remaining in the sport longer.¹² A decade ago fewer than five women older than 20 competed at the national championships.¹²