Wednesday, 11th April 2007 at 3:00 pm

Ryk Neethling’s swansong?

Feverpitcher is in Durban this week for the Telkom South African National Aquatics Championships (rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it?), and has already spent an evening at King’s Park Pool, watching Wendy Trott and George du Randt smash national and continental records. But the highlight was watching Ryk Neethling power home comfortably in the heats of the men’s 50 metre freestyle - a sight we might not be seeing a lot more of in South African waters.

At 29, Ryk is almost twice the age of a number of swimmers taking part this week, and with 17 Nationals behind him, it’s hard to see him going on much beyond 2008 in Beijing. (He conceded with a grim smile in the warm-down pool afterwards that he’s starting to feel very much the old man of local swimming.) And so this week in Durban may have the man with the most instantly recognisable midriff in local sport (with the possible exception of Ollie le Roux) picking up his last national titles.

He’s got one already, a gold after leading out his triumphant KwaZulu-Natal quartet in the 4×100 metres freestyle, and Tuesday night’s skirmish with Gerhard Zandberg in the 50 metre freestyle final could prove a highlight of the whole event. Swimming’s defining image in South Africa is the Athen’s podium, and the awesome foursome; if you’re in Durban this week, and have an evening free, drop by for a final look at one of the stars of that foursome. It may well be the last chance you have.