Dylan Bettencourt
Umbhukudi osemusha wakuleli uLara van Niekerk utholele elakuleli indondo yokuqala kuma-Fina World Championships e-Budapest.
UVan Niekerk uthole indondo yethusi emdlalweni wamanqamu we-50m we-breaststroke wabesifazane, waqeda ngesikhathi esingu-29.90 ngoMgqibelo.
Lo mbhukudi (19) ube ngowokuqala wakuleli ukuwina indondo kulo mqhudelwano ngesikhathi isigaba sokubhukuda sifika emaphethelweni.
Imincintiswano esele – i-diving, i-water polo ne-open water section izophothulwa mhla zintathu kuNtulikazi.
Indondo kaVan Niekerk isho irekhodi lakuleli lokuthola okungenani indondo eyodwa emqhudelwaneni we-long course eselokhu yagcinwa kusukela ngo-2001.
“Okumangalisayo ukuthi bengingathukile kangako. Bengicabanga ukuthi ngizothuka kakhulu kunalokhu ebengiyikho,” kusho uvan Niekerk.
“Empeleni bengiwehlisile umoya futhi ngigxile kulokho obekumele ngikwenze ngendlela obekufanele ngiwuqedele ngayo umncintiswano, ngakho-ke ngicabanga ukuthi bekuyinto enhle impela – ukufunda ukulawula imizwa.”
Ekuqaleni kwalo nyaka, umbhukudi osemncane umangaze uTatjana Schoenmaker owakuleli owazuza igolide kuma-Olympics emqhudelwaneni we-South African Swimming Championships ngesikhathi emhlula ku-100m breaststroke.
Umqeqeshi kavan Niekerk u-Eugene da Ponte uthe iqembu seligxile kuma-Commonwealth Games azoqala ngoNtulikazi.
“Leso kube yingxenye yesizathu esenza sinqume ukuza lapha, ukubhekana nesimo esinengcindezi ukuze kuthi uma sifika kuma-Commonwealth Games, sikwazi ukugxila kakhulu futhi sizame ukubhukuda ngokushesha okukhulu,” kwengeza uda Ponte.
“Lokhu bekungokwesipiliyoni futhi kuzoba okokuzama ukuthola izikhathi esizifuna ngempela. Ngikubheke ngabomvu. Ngiyazi ukuthi uLara naye uzizwa kanjalo.”
Ama-Commonwealth Games ahlelelwe ukuthi aqale ngomhlaka-28 kuNtulikazi kuze kube umhla ziyisishiyagalombili kuNcwaba lapho uvan Niekerk azoqhudelaba khona ku-50 kanye ne-100m ye-breaststroke.
Umthombo wesithombe: @TheCitizen