Africa: Kaylene Corbett Swims Pair of PBs, Joins Schoenmaker In 200 BR Final

2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
• The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
• Meet site
• Competition Schedule
• FinaTV Live Stream
• Entry Lists
• Results

After Tatjana Schoenmaker narrowly missed winning a medal in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 0.24 outside of bronze in sixth, South Africa will have two women vying for a medal in the final of the 200 breast.

Schoenmaker’s countrymate Kaylene Corbett emerged in the preliminaries on day five, swimming a personal best by a tenth to qualify third overall for the semi-finals in 2:24.83 (with Schoenmaker second in 2:24.66).

In the semis, she followed that swim up with another lifetime best by 0.65 in 2:24.18, getting her through to the final in eighth.

Schoenmaker set a new African Record in 2:21.79 to take the #2 seed behind defending champion Yuliya Efimova, setting her up to become the first South African woman to win a medal at the Long Course World Championships. We wrote more on that in the lead-up to the 100 breast.

For Corbett, the 20-year-old has taken a big step forward in 2019.

She made her World Championship debut two years ago in Budapest, placing 23rd in the 200 breast in 2:31.36, and then had a breakthrough to make the Commonwealth final last year with a best of 2:27.68.

Earlier this month, she swam back-to-back PBs at the World University Games, placing fourth in the final in a time of 2:24.93.

Now she’s into the World Championship final, and though she’ll be out in lane 8, sits just over a second behind the third-fastest qualifier from the semis.

MEDAL TABLE

RANK	NATION	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
1	South Africa	0	0	1	1

AFRICAN RECORDS ON DAY FOUR

• Continental: women’s 200 breast – Tatjana Schoenmaker, 2:21.79
• Egyptian: women’s 100 free – Farida Osman, 54.93
• Ghanaian: women’s 100 free – Kaya Forson, 1:00.29
• Ethiopian: women’s 100 free – Lina Selo, 1:14.88
• Sudanese: women’s 100 free – Haneen Ibrahim, 1:22.18
• Zimbabwean: men’s 200 breast – Liam Davis, 2:20.33