At South African trials in Durban, William Diering clocked 2 min 11.88 in the 200m breaststroke to race inside Terence Parkin’s African record of 2:12.50 from 2000.

Elsewhere, Jean Basson and Darian Townsend finished top two in the 200m freestyle in 1:47.79 and 1:48.72. In the 100m butterfly semis, Lyndon Ferns clocked 52.70, inside target time, and Lize-Mari Retief went inside her national record of 59.17, in 58.70.

Wendy Trott added the 800m freestyle to her Beijing programme with an 8:34.11 victory and Suzaan van Biljon clocked 2:26.88 in a semi of the 200m breaststroke ahead of Port Elizabeth’s 12-year-old Jessica Liss, on 2:29.36.