Day two of the DHL Lifesaving South Africa Championships continued in spectacular fashion, with sunshine, standout performances, and more SA records highlighting a memorable day across both beach and pool disciplines in Gqeberha.
It was another golden day along the Nelson Mandela Bay coastline as nippers returned to the sand and surf, delivering a mix of determination, joy, and raw emotion.
From laughter to tears, day two captured the full experience of young athletes competing at a national level.
Kings Beach sprinters stole the spotlight on home sand with dominant performances in the U14 category.
The U14 Mixed Beach Relay saw the Kings Beach quartet of Lyra Harmse, Emma Pretorius, Keegan Shapiro, and Shah Eli Kannemeyer race to victory in an electrifying team effort.
Individually, Harmse powered to gold in the U14 girls Beach Sprints, while Kannemeyer continued his impressive form by taking gold in the U14 boys Beach Sprints.
Kannemeyer also claimed victory in the Run Swim Run, capping off a standout all-round performance.
At the end of day two, Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club maintains a strong lead on the nipper leaderboard with 697 points, followed by Clifton (391) and Kings Beach (276), setting the stage for an exciting final day of nipper competition.
The pool events delivered high-intensity racing and yet more history-making performances, with two new South African records set on day two.
Thandi Bosman of East London Lifesaving Club produced a superb swim in the U15 girls 100m Rescue Medley, clocking a new SA record time of 1:22.11.
Not to be outdone, Kings Beach’s Nicholas Pretorius added to his incredible championship form by setting another SA record, this time in the Boys 15–16 100m Rescue Medley, touching in a blistering 1:06.28.
Pretorius has firmly established himself as one of the standout junior athletes of the competition.
With competition fierce across all events, Clifton leads the overall pool standings at the end of day two, with Kings Beach and Summerstrand, both local Gqeberha clubs, close behind.
With one final day of nipper surf competition remaining, excitement is building on the beach.
Meanwhile, juniors and seniors will conclude their pool programme before transitioning to the surf from Monday, where a new chapter of competition begins. - Lifesaving SA
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