Cameron van der Burgh, preparing to compete at his third Olympics at the Rio Games, joked yesterday that he's getting old - after finding himself surrounded by new young faces at a weekend gala.
"There were all these kids and I didn't know who they were. I was thinking, 'where did they come from?' I'm getting old," a smiling Van der Burgh, 27, said at a media day at the Tuks-aligned High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
Van der Burgh believes his age is an advantage these days. "I'm approaching it a lot more like the [London] Olympics [than 2008, when he failed to reach the final].
"I know how I need to feel at every stage in the season. And I've got four years more training and four years more experience."
Van der Burgh was pushed off the 100m breaststroke mantle by England's 21-year-old Adam Peaty, but he says he's focusing on what he needs to do to put himself in contention.
Other athletes at the function included Comrades and Two Oceans queen Caroline Wostmann, as well as younger ones still dreaming of glory, like sprinter Akani Simbine. LJ van Zyl, the 400m hurdles veteran who has won medals at every athletics competition except the Olympics, is plotting his course for Rio.
Van der Burgh 'getting old' but not cold
Cameron van der Burgh, preparing to compete at his third Olympics at the Rio Games, joked yesterday that he's getting old - after finding himself surrounded by new young faces at a weekend gala.
"There were all these kids and I didn't know who they were. I was thinking, 'where did they come from?' I'm getting old," a smiling Van der Burgh, 27, said at a media day at the Tuks-aligned High Performance Centre in Pretoria.
Van der Burgh believes his age is an advantage these days. "I'm approaching it a lot more like the [London] Olympics [than 2008, when he failed to reach the final].
"I know how I need to feel at every stage in the season. And I've got four years more training and four years more experience."
Van der Burgh was pushed off the 100m breaststroke mantle by England's 21-year-old Adam Peaty, but he says he's focusing on what he needs to do to put himself in contention.
Other athletes at the function included Comrades and Two Oceans queen Caroline Wostmann, as well as younger ones still dreaming of glory, like sprinter Akani Simbine. LJ van Zyl, the 400m hurdles veteran who has won medals at every athletics competition except the Olympics, is plotting his course for Rio.
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