Teen swimmers keep afloat

Minette Janse van Vuuren and Sharur Ramautar are like fish in the water.

Both these talented teenagers were selected to represent KwaZulu-Natal at the South African School Swimming Championships during the week.

Minette is 13 years old, and Sharur is 15.

The highlight of Minette’s championship was earning a gold medal in the 50 metre freestyle event in her age group, making her the South African champion in that discipline.

She also obtained a silver medal in the 100m freestyle.

Finally, Minette also received a gold in the four by 100m medley relay and two silvers in the four by 100m freestyle and four by 50m medley relay.

“Coach, Grace Filipe is extremely proud of Minette, and commended her for hard work, dedication and an always-positive attitude. She reaped the fruits of her labour,” explained Aqua Adrenaline spokesperson, Emsie van der Merwe.

Conversely, Sharur was less fortunate.

Competing in the 50m and 100m butterfly events, the 50m breaststroke and provincial relays, Sharur did not qualify for any of the finals.

This is not the end of his road, however.

“Sharur was selected to represent his school and the Newcastle Swimming Club. It took time and dedication to qualify for the championships, and the coaches also go through a lot, pushing their students hard.”