Lara van Niekerk (born 13 May 2003) is a South African competitive swimmer. She is the current African, Commonwealth, and South African record holder in the long course 50-metre breaststroke and the African and South African record holder in the short course 50-metre breaststroke. She won gold medals in the 50-metre breaststroke at the 2018 African Swimming Championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as a silver medal at the 2022 World Short Course Championships and the bronze medal at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships (long course) in the same event. In the 100-metre breaststroke, she won gold medals at the 2018 African Swimming Championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Background Van Niekerk was born 13 May 2003 in South Africa."Lara Van Niekerk: Results". FINA. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
Career 2017–2019 At the 2017 African Junior Swimming Championships in Cairo, Egypt in March, Van Niekerk won a total of five medals including gold medals in the 100-metre breaststroke, 4×100-metre mixed medley relay, 50-metre breaststroke, 4×100-metre medley relay, and a silver medal in the 200-metre breaststroke.
In 2018, at the year's African Swimming Championships in Algiers, Algeria, Van Niekerk won a gold medal in each of the four events she competed."13th CANA Swimming Championships - Algiers (Algeria) 2018: Full Set of Results" (in French). Swimming South Africa. Retrieved 6 April 2022. She won her first gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke with a time of 2:35.25.D'Addona, Dan (11 September 2018). "Egypt's Farida Osman Sets CANA Africa Swimming Record in 50 Fly; South Africa Wins 8 Medals". Swimming World. Retrieved 6 April 2022. For her second gold medal, she won the 50-metre breaststroke with a new Championships record time of 31.99 seconds, which broke the former record of 32.06 seconds set by Tilka Paljk of Zambia in the prelims heats.D'Addona, Dan (12 September 2018). "Lara van Niekerk Breaks CANA Africa Swimming and Open Water Championship Record". Swimming World. Retrieved 6 April 2022. In the 100-metre breaststroke, she won her third gold medal of the Championships, finishing over eight-tenths of a second ahead of the silver medalist in the event with a time of 1:11.13.D'Addona, Dan (13 September 2018). "Farida Osman Wins; Egypt, South Africa Lean CANA Africa Championships". Swimming World. Retrieved 6 April 2022. For her fourth and final event of the Championships, she concluded with another gold medal, this time helping win the 4×100-metre medley relay in 4:12.83, splitting a 1:10.40 for the breaststroke leg of the relay.Ross, Andy (15 September 2018). "Egypt Extends Lead On South Africa At the Africa Swimming and Open Water Championships". Swimming World. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
The following year, Van Niekerk competed in four events at the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, placing fourth in the 50-metre breaststroke with a 31.12, 20th in the 100-metre breaststroke with a 1:10.95, 30th in the 200-metre breaststroke with a 2:36.91, and tenth in 4:15.71 as part of the 4×100-metre medley relay with a split of 1:11.42 for the breaststroke leg of the relay.FINA (25 August 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Results Book". Omega Timing. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
2021 In April 2021, at the 2021 South Africa National Swimming Championships in Gqeberha, Van Niekerk won the silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke with a time of 1:07.40, which was 1.68 seconds faster than the Olympic Selection Time of 1:09.08 and 0.33 seconds slower than the Olympic Qualification Time of 1:07.07, however she was not sent to represent South Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics as that one roster spot went to automatic qualifier Tatjana Schoenmaker who won the gold medal in an Olympic Qualifying Time."TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: Qualifying Time Standards - SW". FINA. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2023."Memo: Qualification System_ Games of the XXXII Olympiad _ Tokyo 2020". FINA. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2023.Ross, Andy (11 April 2021). "Tatjana Schoenmaker Adds Second Event For Tokyo With 1:05 100 Breaststroke at South African Nationals". Swimming World. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
At the 2021 South Africa National Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg in September, Van Niekerk set two new African and South African records in the short course 50-metre breaststroke, first setting a mark of 30.06 seconds in the prelims heats, then lowering her records to a time of 29.85 seconds in the final.Race, Retta (16 September 2021). "Van Niekerk Becomes First South African Woman Under 30 Seconds In SCM 50 Breast". SwimSwam. Retrieved 6 April 2022."Lara van Niekerk in fine form as records tumble in Pietermaritzburg". News24. Retrieved 6 April 2022. Her swim made her the first South African woman to swim the race in less than 30 seconds.Abrahams, Celine (20 December 2021). "Lara van Niekerk New 50m Breaststroke African Record Holder". gsport.co.za. Retrieved 6 April 2022. Approximately two months later, she set new African, South African, and Commonwealth records in the long course 50-metre breaststroke with a time of 29.88 seconds at the 2021 Northern Tigers Swimming Championships in Pretoria.Race, Retta (20 September 2021). "Van Niekerk Hits New South African LCM 50 Breast Record In Pretoria". SwimSwam. Retrieved 6 April 2022. With her time of 29.88 seconds, she also became the first South African woman to finish the event faster than 30 seconds and the seventh-fastest female swimmer in the event in history.Isaacson, David (9 January 2022). "Lara van Niekerk looking to make her mark in the pool". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
2022 2022 South Africa National Championships (LC) Van Niekerk swam faster than 1:07.00 in the long course 100-metre breaststroke twice at the 2022 Grand Prix international meet number two in Durban in February, first swimming a personal best time of 1:06.52 in the preliminary heats, then a 1:06.74 in the final.Hy-Tek (20 February 2022). "2022 Grand Prix 2 Invitational Meet Durban: Results". Swimming South Africa. Retrieved 9 April 2022.Race, Retta (19 February 2022). "Le Clos Back To Racing In Durban After Bronchitis Hospital Stay". SwimSwam. Retrieved 9 April 2022. For the 2022 South Africa National Swimming Championships in Gqeberha in April, in part a selection meet to determine the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games South Africa team members, she entered to compete in the 50-metre breaststroke, 50-metre freestyle, 50-metre butterfly, and 100-metre breaststroke."2022 SA National Aquatic Championships - Swimming: Psych Sheet". Swimming South Africa. 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022. On the first day of competition, 6 April, she set new African, South African, and Commonwealth records in the 50-metre breaststroke, lowering her former mark of 29.88 seconds from 2021 to 29.72 seconds in the prelims heats of the event.Hamann, Michael (6 April 2022). "South African Champs Day 1 Prelims: Van Niekerk Blasts World-Leading 50 Breast". SwimSwam. Retrieved 6 April 2022."Lara van Niekerk smashes records at swimming championships". Independent Online. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.Chetty, Amir (7 April 2022). "Van Niekerk shines on opening day of national swimming champs". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 7 April 2022."Van Niekerk Shines On Opening Day Of National Swimming Championships". Swimming South Africa. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022. The records were ratified by the governing body for aquatic sports in South Africa, Swimming South Africa, on 7 April 2022.
In the final, Van Niekerk placed first in 30.60 seconds, finishing 0.27 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tatjana Schoenmaker and attaining a qualifying time for both the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.SwimSA TV (5 April 2022). "SA National Swimming Championships 2022". YouTube. Retrieved 6 April 2022.Race, Retta (6 April 2022). "Van Niekerk, Canny, Coetze Qualify For Budapest World Championships". SwimSwam. Retrieved 6 April 2022."Coetzé and Schoenmaker qualifies for Birmingham Commonwealth Games". SuperSport. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022. In the prelims heats of the 50-metre freestyle on day two, she swam a 27.53 in prelims heat six and did not advance to the final in the evening.SwimSA TV (7 April 2022). "SA National Swimming Championships 2022 Day 2". YouTube. Retrieved 7 April 2022. For the 50-metre butterfly prelims heats on day three, she placed sixth in prelims heat one with a time of 28.57 seconds, not making the top eight across all prelims heats and thus not qualifying for the evening final.SwimSA TV (8 April 2022). "National Aquatics Championships 2022 Day 3". YouTube. Retrieved 8 April 2022. On the fourth day, in the prelims heats of the 100-metre breaststroke, she swam a personal best time of 1:06.08 and qualified for the evening final, where she went on to swim a personal best time of 1:05.67 to win the gold medal and achieve a qualifying time for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games.SwimSA TV (9 April 2022). "National Aquatics Championships 2022 Day 4". YouTube. Retrieved 9 April 2022.Isaacson, David (9 April 2022). "Tatjana Schoenmaker downed by Lara van Niekerk in the 100m breaststroke". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 9 April 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (9 April 2022). "18-year-old matric pupil stuns Olympic superstar Tatjana Schoenmaker at SA swim champs". News24. Retrieved 9 April 2022. She was named to both the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games teams."Veteran Le Clos joins teenage brigade in SA Team for swimming World Championships". Swimming South Africa. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.du Plessis, Lindsay (9 June 2022). "Le Clos, Schoenmaker named in South Africa Commonwealth Games squad". ESPN. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
2022 World Aquatics Championships