Umhlanga teen lifesaving sensation Tatum Botha’s 2022 DHL LSA National Club competition rocked from the outset in the Pool team relays at Newton Park in Gqeberha.
Botha is also among the favourites to win multiple medals in the surf competition that starts for the juniors and open division in the latter part of the week.
Botha, competing in the female 14-18 years LC Meter 4 x 50 m obstacle relay, combined with Madison Alberts, Anya Hocking and Mia Rule for victory and then contributed to another gold in the female 19-29 years category in the same discipline.
Botha, Hocking, Saskia Hockly and the very experienced international Sasha-Lee Nordegen were too powerful as a unit.
In the male, 14-18 age group for the same event, Umhlanga also proved victorious through the quartet of Damian Angel, Matthew Coetzer, Kyle Hultzer and Luc O’Brien.
Clifton’s challenge was confined to second and third place, with talented teenager Naor Lombard among the medals.
Tuks, traditionally very powerful in the Pool, still triumphed despite missing South Africa’s leading male pool athlete Johan Lourens, who withdrew from the nationals because of injury.
Tuks still were too strong in winning the 19-29 men 4 x 50 metres obstacle relay, thanks to Kian du Toit, Clayton Thompson, Jason Rodgers and Ockert van Schalkwyk.
Tuks also won the male 14-18 50 LC metre line throw relay, through Ludolph Joubert and Ryan Nell.
Botha and Hockly combined their talents to win gold in the female 14-18 50 LC metre line throw relay.
Harties Reflection were winners in the female 19-29, courtesy of Marlise Ferreira and Anneke van Eeden, with Senathla’s Kai Davey and Branden Willows taking gold in the male 19-29 50 LC metre line throw relay.
Harties also won the male 14-18 50 LC metre line throw through Antonie Pieterse and Kyle Jansen van Vuuren.
In the Nippers Surf Championship at Kings Beach, Clifton turned up the heat in the under 14s, under 12s and under 10s categories, and their combined running team points tally had them edging Fish Hoek and the 2021 overall defending champions Summerstand.
The Nippers continue their rivalry in the surf and sand through to Wednesday, with Tuesday’s competition characterized by the under 13 and under 14 Iron titles, surf swim and beach sprints.
Gold medal winners among the Nippers over the first two days included Clifton’s u14s Sebastian Cudmore and Rebecca Fury. So too Clifton’s Scarlett van der Merwe and Strand’s JP van der Walt.
Lisa de Villers (Summerstrand) was a winner in the under 13s, as were Plett’s Lima Stephenson, Summerstand’s Daniel Pappas and Clifton’s Sophia Pooley.
In the under 12s, there were gold medals for Kyto Tuohy (Clifton), Zahra Mohamad (Fish Hoek), Jarryd Cole (Llandudno) and Hannah de Necker (Plett) and Sienna Gous (Summerstrand).
Bjorn Maree of hosts Kings Beach won gold in the under 11s, and there were also golds in the under 11s for Sabrina Krige (Milnerton), Eden Whitaker (Kings Beach), Morgan Gous (Summerstrand) and Michael Kemp (Strand).
Kings Beach’s Shah Eli Kannemeyer took gold in the under 10s, as did Fish Hoek’s Olivia Latimer. Marine’s Eddie Harker also won gold in the u10s, along with Bianca Salmon of Umhlanga and Sophia da Costa of Marine.
East London’s Callum Rohtbart won gold in the u10s and Kings Beach’s Daniel Verdon took a first place in under 9s, as did Clifton’s Gia Heldsinger, Llandudno’s Emma Cullis and Clifton’s Ahadi Magotsi.