The medals kept on coming for Team SA on Sunday at the African Youth Games as swimming and badminton combined to take the tally to over 60 medals – and counting, writes Mark Lemke in Luanda. They ended the night with 69 medals.
The morning of day five of the African Youth Games was nothing but success for Team SA with both badminton doubles teams winning their semi-finals and booking their tickets for this afternoon’s finals. Elsewhere, swimming had yet another dominant session in the pool with the results of the heats meaning that each the finals would feature two Team SA swimmers.
Team SA started Sunday with a medals total of 50. Badminton’s boys and girls both fell short in their finals but won silvers, while the swimmers cleaned up in the pool in the evening session.
Boys doubles, semi-final: The Team SA pair of Ricardo Vigario and Misha Bredell defeated Nigeria in a back-and-forth bout 2-1 (21/18, 18/21, 21/15) to secure their place in the final.
Girls doubles, semi-final: The Team SA duo of Chloe Lai and Layla Niayesh comfortably beat Tunisia 2-0 (21/2, 21/8) to qualify for the final.
Boys doubles, final: SILVER! Ricardo Vigario and Misha Bredell lost
Girls doubles, semi-final: SILVER! Chloe Lai and Layla Niayesh lost
SWIMMING
Girls 400m freestyle: 1st Leah Markgraaff, 2nd Giuliana Vyncke
Boys 400m freestyle: 1st Matthew Goller, 3rd Kellen Jones
Girls 100m butterfly: 1st Abigail Kotze, 2nd Jemmah Roman
Boys 100m butterfly: 1st Eric Kotze, 2nd Nicholas Pretorius
Girls 200m breaststroke: 1st Chanel Veldsman, 2nd Caitlin Evans
Boys 200m breaststroke: 1st Jayden Williams, 2nd Gerard February
Girls 50m backstroke: 1st Mila van der Hinde, 5th Sophia Trout
Boys 50m backstroke: 1st Eric Kotze, 2nd Nicholas Pretorius
FINALS
400m freestyle: GOLD! Matthew Goller (4:03.50), BRONZE! Kellen Jones (4:05.10)
50m backstroke: GOLD! Eric Kotze (26.93), SILVER! Nicholas Pretorius (27.21)
100m butterfly: GOLD! Nicholas Pretorius (55.46), SILVER! Eric Kotze (55.65)
200m breaststroke: GOLD! Jayden Williams (2:27.45), BRONZE! Gerard February (2:28.59)
Girls
400m freestyle: GOLD! Leah Markgraaff (4:32.67), SILVER! Giuliana Vyncke (4:37.31)
50m backstroke: GOLD! Mila van der Hinde (30.29), 5th Sophia Trout (31.99)
100m butterfly: GOLD! Abigail Kotze (1:01.45), SILVER! Jemmah Roman (1:05.56)
200m breaststroke: GOLD! Chanel Veldsman (2:34.48), SILVER! Caitlin Evans (2:44.05)
4x200m freestyle: GOLD! Bailey Lambert, Giuliana Vyncke, Caitlin Evans and Abigail Kotze (8:44.41)
