What had been predicted as a “Super Saturday” for Seals Swimming Club turned into a stellar Saturday of racing at the 2026 KZN Short Course Championships, with the club producing standout performances across Session 6 and winning a medal in all but two events in which Seals swimmers competed.
The evening delivered fast times, championship titles, a national record and a clean sweep of the Men’s 50m Butterfly podium as Seals swimmers continued an impressive second weekend of racing at their home pool, G.C. Jolliffe Swimming Pool in Pietermaritzburg.
Guy Brooks produced one of the fastest swims of the evening, racing to 47.90 in the Men’s 100m Freestyle. He was followed by 18-year-old Rayhan Khonat, who clocked 48.66 to break the Botswana national record.
Linus Kahl also broke an important barrier, going under one minute in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke with a 59.88.
Kahl returned later in the evening for the Men’s 50m Butterfly, an event that produced one of the standout moments of the championships for the host club.
Seals claimed a clean sweep of the podium, with Kahl securing his second KZN Championship title of the evening, Khonat taking his second silver medal of the night and Lee Matthews completing the Seals 1–2–3 with bronze.
Fifteen-year-old Rachel Sheard was another standout performer, producing an impressive 2:19.08 to win the Women’s 200m Backstroke. Training partner Chloe Potgieter followed her home to claim silver, before Patrick Lamb added another title for Seals with victory in the Men’s 200m Backstroke.
Duné Coetzee continued to add to her collection of KZN titles, winning both the Women’s 100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly, while Leon Coetzer continued his dominance of the Men’s Multi-Class competition with victories in both the 100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly.
The final Open event of the evening saw 14-year-old Shiloh Cruywagen tackle the 1500m Freestyle for the first time in competition. As the sole swimmer in the women’s event, Cruywagen completed the distance in 18:29, producing an impressively controlled set of splits throughout the race.
The 50m Backstroke provided the sole age-group event of the evening, and again Seals swimmers featured prominently on the podium.
Sheard added a second title to her evening by winning the Girls 14–15 50m Backstroke in 30.25, with Potgieter once again taking silver. Dax Herbst claimed bronze in the Boys 14–15 event in a personal-best time, while Morgan Nixon also produced a personal best on his way to silver in his age group.
Seals then claimed both 11-and-under 50m Backstroke titles, with Jessica Francis winning the girls’ event and Jacob Van Zyl taking victory in the boys’ race.
Beyond the medal winners, the depth of the Seals team was reflected in the number of swimmers qualifying for A and B finals and earning strong minor placings throughout the session.
With one day of competition remaining, Seals now head into the final sessions of the 2026 KZN Short Course Championships looking to draw on the fitness and stamina built through months of training and finish an already memorable championship strongly.