Rhine-Ruhr, Germany – July 20, 2025
South Africa’s Lara van Niekerk added to the nation’s medal tally at the 2025 FISU Rhine-Ruhr World University Games on Saturday evening, securing a silver medal in the Women’s 50m Breaststroke final. In a closely contested race, the 22-year-old touched the wall in 30.68 seconds—just fractions behind the United States’ Emma Weber, who claimed gold with a winning time of 30.61. Poland’s Barbara Mazurkiewicz completed the podium with a bronze-medal finish.
Van Niekerk, currently pursuing a BCom in Humanities at the Independent Institute of Education, delivered a consistent performance throughout the rounds. She qualified for the final with a 30.90 in the heats before winning her semifinal in 30.64 seconds, edging out teammate Simone Moll. Moll, who also advanced to the final, narrowly missed out on a podium spot with a fourth-place finish.
The medal marks South Africa’s second podium appearance at these Games following Pieter Coetze’s gold and record-breaking swim in the Men’s 100m Backstroke earlier in the evening.
Van Niekerk’s success comes after a challenging 2024 season, during which she was controversially left out of the Paris Olympic Games squad. Despite posting two Olympic A qualifying times at the 2023 South African Championships—1:06.65 and 1:06.74—an administrative oversight meant her times were not officially registered, leaving her ineligible for Paris selection.
Addressing the disappointment at the time, Van Niekerk shared a heartfelt message on social media:
“It breaks my heart to be missing out on the Paris Olympic Games, as 2024 was the Olympics I have worked towards since I was a little girl. I qualified on two occasions, but due to circumstances beyond my control, the times did not count. The Olympic dream is not over, it’s simply delayed. I’ll be back.”
With this strong international showing in Germany, Van Niekerk has reaffirmed her status as one of South Africa’s premier swimmers and remains firmly on track for future Olympic contention.
She returns to the pool on Tuesday to contest the Women’s 100m Breaststroke.
For More South African Sport News: Sport South Africa Home Page
For More World University Games News for South Africa:
Pieter Coetze Claims SA’s First Medal at 2025 World University Games with Record-Breaking Gold
South African 3×3 Basketball Teams Prepared for World University Games
South Africa’s Fencing Trio Ready to Cross Swords at 2025 World University Games
