Having shone as one of the standout performers at the 16th African Junior Swimming Championships in Cairo, Egypt, earlier this month, Rynfield resident Scarlett le Roux says she’s looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for her.
The distance swimmer raked in four gold medals in the 800m, 400m, and 200m freestyle and the 4x200m relay, and a silver in the 1 500m freestyle, propelling SA to the top of the standings with 52 medals – 25 golds, 17 silvers and 10 bronzes.
It was a successful continental competition for the 17-year-old, closing out a fruitful championship with third overall in the women’s points table.
“What made this sweet was that I went into the competition not ranked in the 1 500m, 800m, 400m and 200m. It was amazing,” Le Roux said.
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Among the highlights of her season was her performance at the 20th Africa Aquatics Zone IV Swimming and Open Water Championships in Namibia in December, captaining Team SA to a championship-winning 84 medals. She raked in 11 golds and a silver, and broke the 50m, 100m, 200m backstroke and 100m freestyle records to finish as the ages 15 to 16 Victrix Ludorum.
The swimmer followed that up with seventh overall in the 400m freestyle and 10th in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley in the open races at her third SA national swimming champs in Gqeberha in April.
Though she had set out to qualify for the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Champs in Romania in August, she was happy that she was in the top 10 in both events in the country.
“I wanted to see where I would rank in the country and what I could do. I hoped to make the junior world, but everything happens for a reason,” said Scarlett.
“It hasn’t really hit me. I’m not glistening over being in the top 10. I’m always looking to be in the top three. I’m very proud of myself. I did better than I hoped. But I’m ready to be first in the country.”
The St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls was introduced to the sport by her coach, Shirley Leech. She said they instantly clicked when she met Leech as a seven-year-old, adding that Leech’s mentorship made swimming more appealing. While her talent was clear from the start, Le Roux’s success at her current level is attributed to her hard work, commitment, and dedication.
“I wasn’t one of those children who got into the pool and people said, ‘That’s the next Olympian’. I worked my way up. I did it because I love it,” she said.
Her mother, Lauren, described her as a focused and motivated athlete.
“She’s self-motivated, and I think that’s why she’s done so well, because it’s part of her personality. Peer pressure doesn’t exist in her life. If she wants to do something, she goes out and does it.
“In the pool, there’s a focus like nobody else. When she puts on her swimsuit, she switches to race mode. Nothing else exists. It’s game time. It’s a war zone,” Lauren said.
While most would say their long-term goal is the Olympic Games, Le Roux has broken hers into small, achievable chunks.
“I would love to go to the Olympics, but I’ve never really set it as my goal. If I go to the worlds and do well, that would be my goal. I don’t like to set long-term goals. I break everything down into achievable goals.”
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