Lara van Niekerk

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. Quotes I was actually very calm and just focused on what I had to do and how I had to execute the race, so I think that was a really good thing – learning how to manage the nerves. Van Niekerk claims SA’s first world champs medal,© 2025 Swimming South Africa Sometimes there are setbacks, and you just have to sit back and see what needs to be done to ensure you get where you need to be and achieve what you want. South Africa's Lara van Niekerk: Thriving through adversity,06 February 2023,By Ockert de Villiers I really am living my dream at the moment, and am just keeping focused on enjoying the journey and taking it one moment at a time. South Africa's Lara van Niekerk: Thriving through adversity,06 February 2023,By Ockert de Villiers It’s a big step up. The hard work is only starting now, and I love all the new challenges coming my way and I am learning a lot from each challenge. Never give up! Your time will come, and some days will be hard, but the good days will be unforgettable. Lara van Niekerk: “I Love All the New Challenges Coming My Way”,June 15, 2022,Celine Abrahams Quotes about Lara van Niekerk She’s had to compete against and chase swimmers, faster and older than her for her whole career and it’s never fazed her. That’s a major reason why she’s where she is today and why she’s so comfortable punching above her weight",Da Ponte Lara and Eugene, pooling into a record-breaking tango,June 24th, 2022,by ZwemZa External links Category:Sportspeople from South Africa Category:Swimmers Category:Women from South Africa Category:Women in sports Category:2003 births Category:Women born in the 2000s Category:Living people