The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
STINGRAYS Swimming Academy swimmers, Denilson Cyprianos and Quinton Tayali take to the pool in the Kwazulu-Natal Premier Championships in Durban, South Africa as they target next year’s Youth Olympic Games (yog).
The two swimmers have been in top form since the beginning of the swimming season in September and are taking part in their first competition outside the country in the 2017-18 season.
Stingrays coach, Edmore Cyprianos said after achieving 2018 South African Junior Championships times they are going for the national records and ultimately qualifying for the YOG.
Tayali (16) achieved the SA qualifying time during the Zimbabwe National Youth Games that were held in August in Bulawayo when he clocked one minute 01,36 seconds in the 100m butterfly race. He also had a strong showing at the Mutare Gala, dominating the butterfly race clocking 27,54 seconds in the 50m race and also clinching the 100m again.
Denilson (15) has so far proved to be the new king of backstroke as he swam 50m in 30,41 seconds at the Mutare Gala in October and then went on to better that time when he set a new Matabeleland record in the same event when he touched the pad in 29,93 seconds during the Matabeleland Championships held last month.
The KZN Championships set to incorporate the Commonwealth Trials kicked off yesterday (Saturday) and are scheduled to run until Thursday.
Edmore said they have been training hard and are eager to come back with national records.
“We are eager to leave an impression at the championships and I think we are prepared for the competition.
“The Youth Olympic Games are our target but on the way we also want to set new national records,” he said.
The 2018 YOG are scheduled for Buenos Aires, Argentine in October.
