OLYMPIC swimming champion Cameron van der Burgh, one of SA’’s top golden hopes at the Commonwealth Games, believes in giving good value.
Like after delivering a poor performance at a small gala in Italy last month.
“I was so flat,” he said of the 100m breaststroke race, where he finished near the back of the field in a slow time.
“I withdrew from the 50m breaststroke. I even said to the organisers ’’you can take my appearance fees back’’.”
There is no evidence of a hangover of that slump — the result of insufficient recovery time after a heavy block of training — in Van der Burgh’’s demeanour yesterday.
He was relaxed as ever during the interview at the athletes village in Glasgow.
The gala kicks off tomorrowTHURSDAY, although Van der Burgh’’s quest for three medals will begin on Friday, starting with the 100m breaststroke, one of the toughest races of Glasgow 2014.
Van der Burgh, who won the 100m at the 2012 London Games, admitted he still had to psyche himself up for battle.
“You have high expectations. It gets harder because you don’’t get as excited. You have to prep yourself up,” says Van der Burgh, admitted he received valuable advice from teammate Roland Schoeman about his situation.
“He told me, when you’’re winning you take it for granted.”
But Van der Burgh is confident the butterflies will start flapping soon. “I think it’’s good I start racing on the second day.
“Once the competition starts and I’’m watching the guys racing, and then when we shave, that’’s when the nerves will start.”
He has every reason to be on his toes in Glasgow — there is stiff competition here, with the top four in the world all coming from the Commonwealth.
Australian Christian Sprenger, who beat him to the world title in 2013, is the fastest in the world so far this year, while Adam Peaty of England is No.2.
Van der Burgh is third and Ross Murdoch of Scotland fourth.
But the South African is famous for caring more about racing than rankings — he likes to produce the goods when it counts.
The signs are there that he’’s ready for a repeat of his London success. Two years ago in training, two weeks out of competition, he clocked 14.9sec for his third 25m, and this time around he did 14.8s.
Van der Burgh, who also competes in the 50m breaststroke as well as the 4x100m medley relay, wears the mantle of Olympic champion comfortably, as well as the target that comes with it.
Even at the training pool here he has the opposition scrutinising him. “When I’’m warming up people are filming you, watching you,” he said with a laugh, adding it could make him feel awkward if he was off-key in the pool.
But video analysis is part of top-flight swimming.
Van der Burgh, the defending Games champion and world record-holder in both the 50m and 100m races, believes he and his SA teammates have a good chance of taking the relay silver behind Australia on the final day of the gala on Tuesday.
Van der Burgh ready to repeat London success
OLYMPIC swimming champion Cameron van der Burgh, one of SA’’s top golden hopes at the Commonwealth Games, believes in giving good value.
Like after delivering a poor performance at a small gala in Italy last month.
“I was so flat,” he said of the 100m breaststroke race, where he finished near the back of the field in a slow time.
“I withdrew from the 50m breaststroke. I even said to the organisers ’’you can take my appearance fees back’’.”
There is no evidence of a hangover of that slump — the result of insufficient recovery time after a heavy block of training — in Van der Burgh’’s demeanour yesterday.
He was relaxed as ever during the interview at the athletes village in Glasgow.
The gala kicks off tomorrowTHURSDAY, although Van der Burgh’’s quest for three medals will begin on Friday, starting with the 100m breaststroke, one of the toughest races of Glasgow 2014.
Van der Burgh, who won the 100m at the 2012 London Games, admitted he still had to psyche himself up for battle.
“You have high expectations. It gets harder because you don’’t get as excited. You have to prep yourself up,” says Van der Burgh, admitted he received valuable advice from teammate Roland Schoeman about his situation.
“He told me, when you’’re winning you take it for granted.”
But Van der Burgh is confident the butterflies will start flapping soon. “I think it’’s good I start racing on the second day.
“Once the competition starts and I’’m watching the guys racing, and then when we shave, that’’s when the nerves will start.”
He has every reason to be on his toes in Glasgow — there is stiff competition here, with the top four in the world all coming from the Commonwealth.
Australian Christian Sprenger, who beat him to the world title in 2013, is the fastest in the world so far this year, while Adam Peaty of England is No.2.
Van der Burgh is third and Ross Murdoch of Scotland fourth.
But the South African is famous for caring more about racing than rankings — he likes to produce the goods when it counts.
The signs are there that he’’s ready for a repeat of his London success. Two years ago in training, two weeks out of competition, he clocked 14.9sec for his third 25m, and this time around he did 14.8s.
Van der Burgh, who also competes in the 50m breaststroke as well as the 4x100m medley relay, wears the mantle of Olympic champion comfortably, as well as the target that comes with it.
Even at the training pool here he has the opposition scrutinising him. “When I’’m warming up people are filming you, watching you,” he said with a laugh, adding it could make him feel awkward if he was off-key in the pool.
But video analysis is part of top-flight swimming.
Van der Burgh, the defending Games champion and world record-holder in both the 50m and 100m races, believes he and his SA teammates have a good chance of taking the relay silver behind Australia on the final day of the gala on Tuesday.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos