The Tuks swimmer, Catherine van Rensburg, has decided not to defend the Midmar Mile women’s title she won last year, meaning a new champion will be crowned next month.

This development creates a huge opportunity for her teammate, Callan Lotter. Purely judged on her performances last year when she finished second, Lotter will be a definite contender. Moreover, it was the last time she was beaten in an open-water swim event in Africa.

If Lotter does win this prestigious event, it will mean Tuks’ women’s swimmers would complete a unique hat trick, because another Tuks swimmer, Torry Earle won in 2024.

However, it is not going to be easy going. The open-water superstar, Sharon van Rouwendaal, who won the 10km at the Paris Olympics, will also be in action at the Midmar Mile. The Dutch swimmer was victorious in 2023.

According to Lotter, Van Rouwendaal might opt not to compete in the women’s elite race. But to her, it does not matter what the Dutch swimmer chose to do. When it comes to racing, only one thing matters, and that is to win.

“My goal remains the same every time I race. It’s to win, because then I have a goal to work towards. When it comes to the Midmar, I’m a novice. This is only the third time I will be competing. The first time, I finished eighth or ninth. I’m not sure,” Lotter said during a recent interview.

According to Lotter she enjoys swimming the Midmar because it’s something different.

“You only have to swim in a straight line and worry about nothing else. I definitely don’t know what the secret to winning the Midmar is. I still need to work it out for myself. My coach, Troyden Prinsloo, however, has won the Midmar, so I am sure he would be able to give me a few tips,” she remarked.

Lotter was in sterling form last year. At the South African Championships, she claimed victory in the 10 km, 5 km, 1.5 km races, and the 3 km knockout event. At the African Champs in Kenya, she won the 3- and 5-kilometre races. Lotter was also victorious at an African Cup event in Guinea.

The 19-year-old secured 16th place in all three of the individual events – the 5km and 10km as well as the newly introduced 3km knockout swim – at the Singapore World Championships. That was a marked improvement on the 29th place she achieved in the 10km the previous time she competed at the World Champs.

“Competing at the World Champs boosted my motivation to learn as much as possible from each race and use the experience in my future racing.  It makes me more determined to swim and compete with the best open water swimmers in the world,” she explained.

To Lotter, success and long hours of training go hand in hand.

“There are days when I don’t feel like training, but I never complain. I know what I am working towards. I firmly believe that you never do anything for nothing. That’s why I simply keep going.  Every day there is something I can work harder on to improve as a swimmer. The group of swimmers I train with help me to enjoy the long, hard hours in the pool,” she concluded.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram