Commonwealth Games swimmers will feel the temperamental weather at the open-air pool in Gold Coast‚ but veteran Cameron van der Burgh says that could suit the South Africans.
The SA squad‚ which has been acclimatising in this Queensland resort for more than a week already‚ got a taste of the type of tough conditions that once put the brakes on the great American‚ Michael Phelps.
“We were swimming there the other night and it was raining and it was a little bit windy so it was actually quite good to get used to what that felt like because I’ve never experienced that before‚” Erin Gallagher said at the athletes’ village on Monday.
“Apparently it can get quite windy at the pool. Graham [Hill‚ national coach] was telling me that Michael Phelps was in this pool once and it was so windy that … swimming into the wind I think he put two seconds onto his 50 [metre] split.”
The Gold Coast has ranged from hot to pouring in the past few days‚ and Van der Burgh insisted the tougher the conditions‚ the better.
“The Brits and the Aussies and all of them are used to pristine conditions and obviously South Africa we don’t have a world class facility.
“For us the outdoor plays a lot in our favour. [If] it rains‚ even better for us. We just brush it off. A lot of the other guys start to freak out a little bit and mentally it’s not as easy for them.”
Van der Burgh‚ the 2012 Olympic 100m champion and former world record-holder who is also a two-time Games champion in the 50m breaststroke‚ spent most of his career training outdoors.
So have most of SA’s swimmers here‚ including Gallagher and Ayrton Sweeney‚ one of the country’s few poolside medal hopes outside of Van der Burgh and Chad Le Clos.
“We train outdoors‚ so we’re used to the open air and the sun in our eyes and the rain in our eyes. We’re kind of prepared for any kind of weather so I think it’s definitely in our favour‚” said Sweeney‚ who will compete in his premier 400m individual medley as well as the 200m breaststroke and 200m IM.
Van der Burgh said the lack of extravagance of training facilities at home had contributed to the success of SA swimmers.
“I’ve never heard a South African go to a world championships and say ‘that wasn’t a great pool‚ it was a slow pool‚ it was a this pool‚ a that pool’‚ where a lot of the other internationals‚ you always hear them saying that they didn’t enjoy the facilities or it wasn’t that great.”
Van der Burgh believed the times in Gold Coast would be slower than normal.
“I don’t think it’s going to be the fastest championships‚ I think it’s definitely going to be a racer’s championships.
“So once again‚ that plays to our favour because a lot of the internationals are fixated with and brought up on times whereas South Africans are brought up on racing and I think that’s why Chad [Le Clos] and myself have excelled previously.”
Le Clos agreed.
“I guess it will suit us more because we are used to harsher conditions while other countries aren’t used to swimming in the rain or swimming in the wind.”
The swimming kicks off on Thursday.
A swimmers could thrive in 'tough' open-air pool‚ says Cameron van der Burgh
Image: Gallo Images
Commonwealth Games swimmers will feel the temperamental weather at the open-air pool in Gold Coast‚ but veteran Cameron van der Burgh says that could suit the South Africans.
The SA squad‚ which has been acclimatising in this Queensland resort for more than a week already‚ got a taste of the type of tough conditions that once put the brakes on the great American‚ Michael Phelps.
“We were swimming there the other night and it was raining and it was a little bit windy so it was actually quite good to get used to what that felt like because I’ve never experienced that before‚” Erin Gallagher said at the athletes’ village on Monday.
“Apparently it can get quite windy at the pool. Graham [Hill‚ national coach] was telling me that Michael Phelps was in this pool once and it was so windy that … swimming into the wind I think he put two seconds onto his 50 [metre] split.”
The Gold Coast has ranged from hot to pouring in the past few days‚ and Van der Burgh insisted the tougher the conditions‚ the better.
“The Brits and the Aussies and all of them are used to pristine conditions and obviously South Africa we don’t have a world class facility.
“For us the outdoor plays a lot in our favour. [If] it rains‚ even better for us. We just brush it off. A lot of the other guys start to freak out a little bit and mentally it’s not as easy for them.”
Van der Burgh‚ the 2012 Olympic 100m champion and former world record-holder who is also a two-time Games champion in the 50m breaststroke‚ spent most of his career training outdoors.
So have most of SA’s swimmers here‚ including Gallagher and Ayrton Sweeney‚ one of the country’s few poolside medal hopes outside of Van der Burgh and Chad Le Clos.
“We train outdoors‚ so we’re used to the open air and the sun in our eyes and the rain in our eyes. We’re kind of prepared for any kind of weather so I think it’s definitely in our favour‚” said Sweeney‚ who will compete in his premier 400m individual medley as well as the 200m breaststroke and 200m IM.
Van der Burgh said the lack of extravagance of training facilities at home had contributed to the success of SA swimmers.
“I’ve never heard a South African go to a world championships and say ‘that wasn’t a great pool‚ it was a slow pool‚ it was a this pool‚ a that pool’‚ where a lot of the other internationals‚ you always hear them saying that they didn’t enjoy the facilities or it wasn’t that great.”
Van der Burgh believed the times in Gold Coast would be slower than normal.
“I don’t think it’s going to be the fastest championships‚ I think it’s definitely going to be a racer’s championships.
“So once again‚ that plays to our favour because a lot of the internationals are fixated with and brought up on times whereas South Africans are brought up on racing and I think that’s why Chad [Le Clos] and myself have excelled previously.”
Le Clos agreed.
“I guess it will suit us more because we are used to harsher conditions while other countries aren’t used to swimming in the rain or swimming in the wind.”
The swimming kicks off on Thursday.
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