Arno Kruger may not yet be a household name among South African sports fans, but it’s only a matter of time before his swimming achievements make waves.

A promising talent in freestyle, he continues to refine his skills. At the recent 2024 South African Short Course Championships in Durban, the Tuks swimmer achieved a major milestone, winning the 400m freestyle with a time of 3:44.57—a personal best. This time ranks among the 12 fastest in the world this year and qualifies him for the B-standard at the 17th World Short Course Championships in December.

Kruger also posted a personal best in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:46.51, again surpassing the B-qualifying standard. In the 100m freestyle, he clocked 49.26 seconds, another personal best. Competing alongside South African swimming legend Chad le Clos in the shorter event was particularly thrilling for Kruger, finishing just 0.55 seconds behind. This close race with Le Clos has only fueled his excitement and determination for what lies ahead.

"A year or two ago, I would not have dreamt it to be possible. All credit should go to my coach, Rocco Meiring. He is undoubtedly one of the best. Coach Rocco sees something special in each of the swimmers he coaches. Then, he gets you to believe in what he sees. 

"The way he coaches makes you believe nothing is impossible. That you can achieve anything you set your mind to. He does his utmost for every swimmer to help them achieve their goals. I won't lie. Coach Rocco is stern. During training, there are never any half-measures. If you slack, Coach Rocco will call it out. He wants every one of us to be accountable.

"My handicap is that I trained for eight years in a 25-metre pool before I came to Tuks. So, there is a lot that needs to change in my technique for me to be competitive in the Olympic standard pool."

Does it not get challenging or tedious to swim for up to two or more hours a day, up and down over the same 50 meters? Kruger's immediate answer is no.

"Every moment I am in the pool, I am at my happiest. There is something specific to focus on during each training session to be faster. No one day in the pool is ever the same, as there are a lot of variables that change. The challenge to us swimmers is to adapt.

"The one thing that makes swimming at Tuks special is the squad. There is a special bond between us. Everyone is inspired to work harder if one of us achieves a specific goal."