Fit-again Le Clos and Van Niekerk return, targeting world short course champs

Both Chad le Clos and Lara van Niekerk will return to competition after injury layoffs at this week’s SA Short Course Championships at Kings Park Pool in Durban from 26-29 September.

The event will give swimmers the chance to qualify for the World Short Course Championships which will take place in Budapest, Hungary from 10-15 December.

Van Niekerk is returning after two months out with a back injury and apart from her usual 50 and 100m breaststroke events, has also been entered into the 200m breaststroke, the 100m butterfly and the 100m individual medley.

The two-time Commonwealth Games champion described herself as “around 90 per cent” ready for the competition. “I was off for two months due to a back injury that I picked up racing overseas so I’ve been back in the pool for about six weeks now,” she said.

“Training has been a bit up and down, trying to get back into it and back into shape. Obviously being off for that long is not ideal but we make do with what we’ve got.

“I’m just going with the mindset of enjoying it and going out there and racing again. It’s my first competition since May so it’s just going to be a fun one.”

The 21-year-old added that she and her team will make a decision on the World Short Course Championships after seeing the results over the weekend.

“Depending on how the gala goes, in the next few weeks of training, we will make the call on whether I’ll go to World Short Course or not but I would love to go. I’ve always loved short course but it all depends on how it goes.”

Also making a return to action will be Le Clos, who suffered a shoulder injury just a few weeks before the Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2012 Olympic champion has entered the 50, 100 and 200m butterfly as well as the 50 and 100m freestyle in Durban.

'AMAZING WONDERS'

“Things are going really good. My shoulder is great, I’m really, really happy,” said the 32-year-old.

“It took me a long time, three and a half weeks of not doing anything and the rest really did me amazing wonders… I’ve been starting with a rehab programme for a while now. I’m on week five already with that and I’ve started the gym programme to go with it to help strengthen up all those areas that I’m lacking in so I’m very happy with the progress.”

Le Clos added that while his recovery is going well, he’s still not entirely fit.

“I’m definitely not 1000 per cent fit so I’m not looking to go world records this weekend but I am looking to hopefully pick up a couple of wins and post one or two decent times so I’m very, very excited actually.”

The 12-time World Short Course champion has set his sights on bettering American Ryan Lochte’s record tally of medals won in individual events at the World Short Championships which stands on 23. Le Clos’s current total is 19.

“Obviously December is very important,” he said. “Hopefully I can pick up another medal or two – that would be unbelievable… so I’m very, very excited about that.”

Also in action in Durban this week will be fellow Olympians Matthew Sates and Rebecca Meder.

Sates has been entered into an incredible nine events, while Meder is down to swim six individual events.

“The time after the Olympic Game went really quickly. It’s crazy to think that it was just short of two months ago that I raced,” explained Meder who went to visit family in Belgium after the Paris Games before returning to training. “I probably didn’t have as long of a break as other swimmers but I had enough time. I told Graham [Hill] I was ready to get back in. I’ve got short course trials coming up and I want to swim really well there with the intention of getting solid times so I can go to World Short Course in December.”

Swimming at the Kings Park Pool gets underway with the first day’s heats at 8.30am on Thursday.