Triumph rose from heartbreak on Tuesday evening. Swimmers Ryan Coetzee and Nathania van Niekerk bounced back from despairing disappointments to secure Commonwealth Games qualification times in Durban.

The duo helped push to 24 the number of swimmers who have achieved the qualifying times set by Swimming SA (SSA) at these trials for Gold Coast 2018 from April 4-15. 

Chad Le Clos secured qualification in his fourth event of this gala, the 100m butterfly, Erin Gallagher her third as she broke the 55-second barrier in the 100m freestyle for the first time in her career, and Tatjana Schoenmaker her second in her second in the 100m breaststroke. 

Cameron van der Burgh won his second gold of the gala in the 50m breaststroke, although it doesn’t count as a qualifier because SSA don’t recognise non-Olympic events. 

But life is different lower down the pecking order.  

Coetzee, 22, had missed every major international gala the past few years, dating back to the last Commonwealth showpiece at Glasgow 2014, and Van Niekerk, 18, failed to reach the Rio Olympics by six-tenths of a second last year.

“Rio was a really, really big disappointment, I came so close,” recalled Van Niekerk. “I changed strokes and switched clubs,” recalled Van Niekerk, pointing out she had to rediscover the joy of the sport. 

Focusing on her matric studies this year, she picked up the backstroke again only eight months ago. “I’m very happy.”

With all the international competitions he had missed, Coetzee was the nearly man of SA swimming until Tuesday, having also missed out on Rio. 

Even this week he had fallen short of the qualifying marks in other events, and when he got it in the 50m butterfly, it didn’t count because it’s not an Olympic discipline. 

The 22-year-old accounting student in Tennessee was faster than Le Clos in the 100m ’fly morning heats, touching in a 52.57sec personal best.

“It’s been a tough four years … It’s been a little bit of a struggle, a lot of little things needed fixing and it finally happened,” he explained.

“After last night’s [Monday night’s] 100m freestyle, it wasn’t too good, to come out and do my best is a relief.”

The former Affies pupil had flown back for this gala and will return to the US the day after Christmas.

In the final Coetzee pushed Le Clos, a two-time world champion in this event, finishing second in 52.93. 

Le Clos won in 52.43 while Daniel Ronaldson, coming back from a lengthy injury, ended third in 53.71 and then wept with joy afterwards. 

“I was out for 18 months,” said Ronaldson, 21. “I had two shoulder injuries. That was just before Olympic trials and I was a hopeful … and that was a huge disappointment. I’ve only just come back, I’ve had three months of proper training.”

Gallagher and Emma Chelius also turned on the waterworks after their qualifying efforts in the 100m freestyle. 

“The 100m freestyle is my main event so there’s always a lot of pressure. I’m really excited to get under 55 too,” said Gallagher, who has also been hampered by injuries since 2015. 

“To be faster than I was two years ago, it gives me the confidence I can go even faster.”

Seventeen-year-old Kate Beavon, who goes into matric next year, and runner-up Kristin Bellingan, 19, both dipped under the qualifying mark in the 800m freestyle.  

Le Clos admitted he had to fight for the 100m ’fly victory. “It was very exciting,” he said. “Ryan had a great swim in the morning and I knew it would be tough. Tonight was a race.”

Le Clos’s times at this gala have been poor by his standards, but that’s the result of heavy training. 

“I’m heading to the gym in an hour’s time. Tomorrow I’ve got a 5km swim in the morning and 6km at night. 

“I thought I’d be a bit quicker. I’ve got to be at least two seconds quicker [at Commonwealth],” he said, pointing out he’d be up against Olympic champion Joseph Schooling.​