A swimming sensation
HALFWAY GARDENS - Swimmer Carissa van Rooyen is swimming her way to fulfilling her dream of winning gold at the Olympics.
Van Rooyen won four gold medals in all four of her races at the Inter-Provincial Gala held in Pretoria, where she was selected to represent Central Gauteng.
Her mother Liezel said, “She broke the South African record that same day. I was fortunate enough to do time keeping in her lane as well. She swam the 100-metre backstroke and won gold in a time of one minute and 13 seconds. In the 50-metre freestyle, she won gold in a time of one minute and seven seconds. In the 200-metre medley relay, the team won gold in two minutes and 23 seconds, while in the 200-metre free relay, the team won in two minutes and eight seconds.”
Van Rooyen is only 11 years old but she already has her heart set on a swimming career: her aim is to win more gold medals in the Olympics than American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Van Rooyen, who is a Grade 5 pupil at Christ Church Preparatory and College in Midrand, trains at the Wahoo Swimming Club in Sunninghill and has been swimming competitively since 2011. She is ranked number one in South Africa for many of the female, 11-age group swimming events. She also holds four Central Gauteng Junior Short Course Championship records and was awarded the Top Female Swimmer award for Level 1 by Central Gauteng Aquatics during the Central Gauteng Annual Awards Function in September.
Van Rooyen is now prepping her muscles for her next big event, the Open Champs, which is by invitation only, in December.
