The TuksSwimming head coach, Rocco Meiring, can't be blamed for thinking, "I love it when hard work and dedication pay dividends".

During the 2023 SA National Aquatic Championships in Gqeberha, six swimmers he is coaching qualified to compete at the World Aquatics Championships in Japan.

One of the feel-good stories for Meiring is that of Emma Chelius. She qualified in the 50m-freestyle swimming with a time of 24.78s during a time trial at the championships. She just missed out on doing so in the final.

Afterwards, the Tuks swimmer said, "I felt like I still had more to give. It's always nice to make the most of a long training block and then a taper because we don't get that often.

"Especially for a 50, all those small details must come together, so I wanted another crack at it. I'm thrilled that it paid off, and I feel relieved and happy it's done."

According to Meiring, Chelius has had problems with an elbow injury since the Birmingham Commonwealth.
"Emma could only start serious training in November last year. For now, her focus is only to be competitive over 50 metres."

Meiring was also impressed by Erin Gallagher's performances. She qualified in the 50m (26.31s) and 100-metre butterfly (57.84s) events. 

"What is exciting about Erin's performances is that she is starting to swim the times she did a few years back," said Meiring.

Matt States qualified in the 100m-butterfly (51.91s). The 19-year-old only joined TuksSwimming early this year. States has done well to qualify. His whole life changed when he came to Tuks. It will take him some time to adapt to his new training regime."

It seems as if the 18-year-old Pieter Coetzé is getting faster every time he competes. During the national championships, he won all three backstroke events. The Tuks swimmer set an African record, winning the 100m-backstroke in a time of 52.78s. It was the second time he had broken the record in less than a year. Last year during the World Junior Championships in Peru, he swam 52.95s. 

Coetzé came within two-hundredths of a second on improving one of the older SA men's swimming records. He powered to victory in 24.36 in the 50m-backstroke, placing him top in the world this year but just short of Gerhard Zandberg's 2009 mark.

The Tuks swimmers who achieved A-qualifying times for the 20th World Aquatics Championships include:

Women: Emma Chelius (50m freestyle), Duné Coetzee (400 and 800m freestyle), Kaylene Corbett (200m breaststroke), Erin Gallagher (50 and100m butterfly), Tatjana Schoenmaker (50, 100 and 200m breaststroke).
Men: Pieter Coetzé (50, 100m and 200m backstroke) and Matt Sates (100m butterfly).