Justus & Erasmus Race Their Way To South African Sprint Titles

2018 KZNA Provincial Championships

• Saturday, December 15th – Thursday, December 20th
• Kings Park Swimming Pool, Durban, KZ
• SCM
• Meet Results in Meet Mobile – KZNA Speedo Provincial Championships 2018

Meet Hightlights

2016 Olympian Calvyn Justus medaled in 2 individual events at this week’s KZNA Provincial Championships in Durban, with both prizes coming in sprint freestyle events. The 22-year-old first collected silver behind countryman Doug Erasmus in the 50m free, with Erasmus scoring a winning time of 21.90 to represent the only athlete of the field to go sub-22. Justus touched about a half a second later in 22.44.

Erasmus would go on to win the 50m fly in 23.71 later in the meet.

Justus soared to the top of the podium in his 2nd event of the 100m free, taking the gold in a mark of 48.38. The next closest competitor was Seagulls teammate Daniel Ronaldson, who touched runner-up status in 49.32, while Matthew Bosch rounded out the top 3 in 49.55. For Justus, his time tonight represents a new personal best, surpassing the 48.61 that he threw down in 2016.

27-year-old Jared Pike wrapped up 2 wins in breaststroke races, first taking the 50m in 28.50, then the 100m in 1:01.69.  Martin Binedell was a double winner as well, clocking 1:57.32 for gold in the 200m back while wining the 100m version in 54.94.

20-year-old Kristin Bellingan also topped the podium twice, taking the women’s 400m free in 4:17.18 while also winning the 200m free in 2:02.50.

Calvin Coetzee was the men’s 200m freestyle victor in 1:48.66, just .09 ahead of runner-up Matthew Bosch‘s time of 1:48.75. Veteran Ayrton Sweeney also reaped a gold in the men’s 200m breast in 2:11.14, while Short Course World Championships finalist Erin Gallagher was the women’s 50m free winner in 25.16.

Gallagher holds her nation’s LCM standard in the 50m free with the 25.03 she threw down for 5th place. Also on the Gold Coast, 19-year-old Gallagher established a new South African Record in the 100m free, clocking 54.23 for 6th.

Most recently, the rising teen finished 8th in the women’s 100m freestyle final in Hangzhou.