PE swimmers selected for national team

Five Nelson Mandela Bay swimmers have been selected to represent South Africa at the 12th African Swimming Federation (Cana) championships that will take place in Mangaung in the Free State from October 16 to 23. Three of the five – twins Alard and Alaric Basson and Edward Johannisen – are NMMU Swimming Club members. The others are PEA Swimming Club members Kaylene Corbett and Jessica Beukes. Port Elizabeth’s Mark Edge has been selected as a coach for the team going to Bloemfontein. The championship will see many of the continent’s finest swimmers competing against one another in the pool, as well as in open water. “It’s great pleasure to represent the country as well as my club and province,” Alaric Basson said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to make South Africa proud and wave the flag high by doing what is expected.” The national team includes Olympians Chad le Clos, Myles Brown, Cameron van den Burgh and Michelle Weber. Edge is head coach of PEA Swimming Club, the oldest swimming club in the country, and is in charge of the NMMU high-performance swimming team. The Basson twins and Corbett have also been selected for the national team, which will be competing at the Fina world short-course championship in Windsor, Canada, from December 6 to 11. Beukes, along with PEA teammate Jade Simons, will represent South Africa at the Region V U20 Youth Games in Luanda, Angola, from December 14 to 17.