Jump to content

Neil Versfeld

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Freestyleonly22 (talk | contribs) at 19:35, 15 July 2020 (Individual national championship was won in 2009, as per the source.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Neil Versfeld
Personal information
Full nameNeil Robert Versfeld
National team South Africa
Born (1985-03-29) 29 March 1985 (age 39)
Durban, South Africa
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubSeals Swimming Club
College teamUniversity of Georgia (U.S.)
CoachJack Bauerle (U.S.)

Neil Robert Versfeld (born March 29, 1985) is a South African swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events.[1] He finished ninth with a superb South African record in the men's 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has claimed multiple South African championship titles in the 50, 100, and 200 m breaststroke.

Versfield swam collegiately for the Georgia Bulldogs at the University of Georgia (UGA). As a UGA senior in 2009, he won an individual national championship in the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Championships by swimming the fastest time in the history of the event (1:51.40). At UGA, Versfeld was a seven-time All-American and graduated as the team record-holder in the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay.[2]

Versfeld competed for the South African swimming team in the men's 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He finished second behind William Diering with a 2:12.33 at the South African Championships four months earlier in Johannesburg to assure his selection to the Olympic team under FINA A-standard (2:13.70).[3] Having entered the semifinals with the ninth-seeded time (2:10.50), Versfeld rebounded from his immediate defeat in the prelims to subdue a new African record in 2:10.06, but narrowly missed the top eight final by just 0.09 of a second. His ninth-place time also slashed 0.15 seconds off the continental mark, set by Diering in the initial half of the semifinal round.[4][5]

At the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy, Versfeld dipped under a 2:10 barrier to lower his South African record time to 2:09.61 in the semifinals of the 200 m breaststroke.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Neil Versfeld". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  2. ^ "UGA Swim and Dive Team 2007-2008 Season Review". UGA Athletics Department. Archived from the original on 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  3. ^ "South African Championships: Women Down Two African Records". Swimming World Magazine. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  4. ^ Lohn, John (12 August 2008). "Olympics, Swimming: Olympic Record Tumbles Twice, Daniel Gyurta Paces Qualifying in 200 Breast". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Swimming: Men's 200m Breaststroke Semifinal 2". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  6. ^ "Quiet day for SA swimmers in Rome". South Africa: Independent Online. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  7. ^ "2009 FINA World Championships (Rome, Italy) – Men's 200m Breaststroke Semifinals" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 11 February 2013.


Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This biographical article related to a South African swimmer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neil_Versfeld&oldid=967862810"