The Atlantis Target Team of 21 swimmers worked tirelessly for months, training mornings and evenings to prepare for what would be seven tough days of competition.
Finally, the Regionals Age Group Championships had arrived and first up were the Level 2 swimmers who competed at Ellis Park from March 28 to the March 31. If anyone ever doubted the results of all the training, this was put to rest at the very first event, when Tahir Essof cut 17 seconds off his 400m Freestyle time. This set the tone for the rest of the nationals as every swimmer went on to post new personal best times (PBTs).
At Ellis Park, Atlantis had just 6 swimmers competing, and on Day 2, this small team managed to make 7 finals, with Amarah Rangraze bagging a bronze for the 100m Breast and Tahir a Silver for the 200m Freestyle. Day 3 was even better with 11 Finals and the same pair of Amarah and Tahir achieving Gold in the 50m Breast and 100m Freestyle respectively.
On the final day of the Level 2 Regionals, Atlantis’s Amarah Rangraze and Shaheerah Seedat, swam a remarkable dead heat as both claimed the Silver in the 200m Breast. Tahir went on to complete his medal haul with a Silver in the 50m Freestyle and Gold in the 50m Butterfly finals.
Not to be outdone, 15 Atlantis Level 1 swimmers took to the pool in Germiston from April 1 to April 3. On Day 1, they made 17 finals and excitement buzzed around Atlantis’ Gazebo and there was quiet optimism amongst swimmers, coaches and parents as the floodlights came on for the evening races. This was not misplaced as the team achieved 3 Gold and 2 Bronze medals. The excitement was not over as the relay teams went on to claim silver in the 4x50m boys and 4X50 mixed medley races.
On Day 2, Atlantis swimmers qualified for 13 finals. The screams and cheers that echoed around the stands spurred Isa Adam, Faraaz Khan, Shazia Surtee and Muhammed Adam on to bring in Gold and Silver Medals. The atmosphere was electrifying as the relay teams took to the blocks. The cheering fans emptied their lungs while the swimmers filled theirs in anticipation of what was to come. ‘Take your Marks,’ and Beep off they went. First up were the boys in the 4x100m Free and after a brief two minutes the race was over with Atlantis sealing second place on the podium. Next were the girls who were now also challenging the boy’s team. Beep and away they went, one swimmer after another, careful not to DQ on the dive and into the last sprint. ‘Click’, yes another silver was achieved. Both relay teams were on the podium once again.
By Day 3, which was actually Day 7 for the coaches, you could feel the strain. The last day of competition, the last day of months of training and preparation; the last day of the season had arrived. Again Atlantis swimmers proved themselves by qualifying for 14 more finals. Preliminaries were over, coaches and swimmers were tired and parents were nervous. Everything from here on would be a bonus as the team had already achieved much beyond their expectation. As the sun set and the lights came on, the excited crowd filled the air with their encouragement. In no time Atlantis brought in 2 more Gold medals, another 3 silvers and all three relay teams bagged bronze. This was the cherry on the top. In the end Atlantis finished the championship with 7 Gold, 10 Silver and 5 Bronze medals. Isa Adam, Thabo Yona and Faraaz Khan also achieved their Level 2 qualifying times for the new season.
In the team standings, at Level 2, Atlantis competed against 60 clubs, including teams from Africa and with just 6 swimmers, finished in a credible 18th place. In the Level 1 Championships, there were 79 clubs and Atlantis finished in a fantastic 6th place with just 15 swimmers.
The achievement has left everyone, including competing coaches, in awe of this small club and supporters and parents are ecstatic about the performance of their swimmers. More remarkable than the bag of medals is the effort that was put in by swimmers and coaches, day in and day out for months on end. Atlantis teenagers were waking up at 5am daily, managing their diets and forfeiting socials all to swim amazingly in the finals.
Well Done to Atlantis a remarkable sports club that represents our community.
The post Atlantis bags the medals at SSA Championships appeared first on Rising Sun Lenasia.