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By Citizen Reporter

Journalist


Van der Burgh off to good start

Cameron van der Burgh comfortably started his campaign in the pool on the second day of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where the South African team is expected to win three more medals.


The 26-year-old progressed to Friday evening’s semi-finals in the 100m breaststroke and has identified Ross Murdoch as a danger after the Scot claimed the 200m breaststroke title on Thursday.

Murdoch broke the Commonwealth Games record, clocking 1:00.63 in the third heat on Friday morning to rank second overall behind England’s Adam Peaty.

Peaty took the final heat to a new Games record of 59.47 seconds, a full second off Van der Burgh’s world mark.

“I’m just progressing through the heats to the semi, then to the final and then it’s all in the mind,” Van der Burgh said.

“I watched the 200m last night and that was a good race by Murdoch, I definitely have to watch out for him in the final.”

Van der Burgh will be competing in the 50m breaststroke and the 4x100m medley relay, where the team will be looking to repeat their silver medal from the Delhi Games.

The swimmers faced the disappointment of Myles Brown failing to make the final of the 400m freestyle, and Karin Prinsloo falling victim to the flu virus that has hit South Africa in the last few weeks.

It was the flu that resulted in Chad le Clos reluctantly withdrawing from the 400m Individual medley, leaving Sebastien Rousseau as the sole South African in the event.

Rousseau ranked sixth for the evening’s final after leading his heat through to 50m into the breaststroke.

Scot Daniel Wallace then took control and pushed for home in the freestyle, setting a new Games record of 4:11.04, taking two seconds off the mark set by Le Clos in Delhi.

The morning swim was rounded off by the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, who were third to Australia and England in 3:19.97 in their heat.

The quartet will swim in lane six in the final and are expected to be bolstered by Roland Schoeman and Le Clos.

Others to progress through to the next rounds include Trudi Maree in the women’s 50m freestyle and Jessica Ashley Cooper in the women’s 100m backstroke.

Sapa

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