5 days ago
Lotter digs deep in steamy Singapore to crack world top 20
While the country's swimming team left the World Aquatics Championships with four medals, thanks to Pieter Coetzé's gold and two silvers and Kaylene Corbett's bronze, the pick of the SA athletes competing in other sports at the event in Singapore was open water swimmer from Pretoria, Callan Lotter.
The 19-year-old secured 16th place in all three of the events she contested – the 5km and 10km as well as the newly introduced 3km knockout swim. That was a marked improvement on the 29th place she achieved in the 10km at last year's World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
The Pretoria University student could be particularly proud considering the tough conditions in Singapore, where the 10km race was postponed twice because of the water quality and the steamy water temperature was almost beyond the limit to compete.
'This was one of the hardest 10km races I had ever swum in my life, with the 31 degrees warm water and huge waves. My body started cramping up early in the race. I knew that it was going to be a long race, and I am extremely proud of myself in how I overcame this,' explained Lotter.
She knew she was in good shape heading into the championships, having finished 13th in the 10km race and 11th in the 3km knockout at the Setúbal leg of the Open Water World Cup series in June.
'I knew that I was capable of finishing in the top 20 or even better. I had done all the training that I could have to the best of my abilities. I was confident in my abilities going into the competition and I am proud of the outcome,' she said.
Lotter added that these results have been a major confidence boost, looking ahead to the next World Championships and then Olympic Games in 2028.
'This competition boosted my experience and racing on the international stage, which helps me prepare for more World Championships and the Olympics. I try to learn as much as possible from each race and use the experience in my future racing. It makes me more determined to swim and compete with the best open water swimmers in the world,' Lotter concluded.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
