TWO Blue Ocean Aquatics swimmers, Samantha Labuschagne and Michelle Kretzschmar, took part in the Level 3 Nationals in Port Elizabeth recently.
The entry was significantly bigger this year, with more than 600 swimmers taking part.
Qualifying to compete in the event means that the swimmers are automatically ranked in the top 30 in their age group (in this case 18 and under) in South Africa.
Samantha came home with gold medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle, silver in the 200m freestyle and 100m backstroke, and bronze in the 50m backstroke event.
She swam personal best times in all of her five events.
It was the first time Michelle has qualified for such a high level of swimming.
While she was initially overwhelmed by how tough the competition was, she rose to the occasion and swam personal best times in the 50m and 100m freestyle events.
She was also able to improve on her overall ranking.
The club placed 30th out of 78 clubs, something coach Mandy Koegelenberg was proud of.
