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Van der Burgh Ready For Berlin Blast

Nov 14, 2008  - Craig Lord

Cameron Van der Burgh (RSA) has shaken off the nose and throat infection that laid him low midweek and is ready to attack the world short-course breaststroke records once more here at the final round of the Arena World Cup in Berlin.

To do so, the 20-year-old, who has set three global marks on the cup circuit so far (50m twice and 100m once), will don a suit that was not even a player in the elite swimwear market until this technology driven year.

"I've never worn the full body before, just pants, and it really feels good," said Van der Burgh, a child of the fast-suit generation and pupil of coach Dirk Lange, appointed head coach to Germany today. The partnership may continue: Van der Burgh will remain in Germany with Lange for the next few days, "so we can see if we can sort out a deal", the swimmer told SwimNews. "Dirk has prepared me really well. I take my hat off to him. He's one of the best coaches in the world," said the first African man ever to hold a breaststroke world record. "Over the past four to five months everything started to come together. It stems from my belief in Dirk and the work we've done. This wouldn't have been possible without him."

Missing the Olympic final "because I got a little too excited" in the semi back in Beijing had served as a spur to his latest gain on the clock. 

Later, he added that Lange has continued to send him training programmes since leaving his role as head honcho of South African swimming. Van der Burgh want the partnership to continue: "I's gone so well ... why mess up a winning formula."

Van der Burgh suffered a bout of a 'flu-like virus in between the Singapore and Moscow rounds of the cup. That laid him low during the Stockholm round of the cup midweek. However, he said that he is now ready to rocket inside the records once more: "I haven't shaved yet and I'll be putting on a new suit here so I'm expecting fast times and hopefully record times too."

Asked if the bonus money offered in Berlin, the prospect of a car and the potential to earn  the $100,000 overall prize among men, had proved an incentive, Van der Burgh stumbled over his words a little before saying "it's really good, a good Christmas present" as his face lit up like a festive tree.

Randal Ball (USA), based at the ADN Swim Project in Italy with coach Andrea Di Nino, was also looking for world record times on backstroke after having fallen 0.02sec shy of Peter Marshall (USA), when the American clocked the world record in the 50m backstroke in Stockholm. Bal was aiming to break the 23sec mark. His move to Italy had given him a second-lease of life in the sport, a change being as good as a rest. He loved Italy for its food, its culture and the ADN support group, and, he said "I've picked up a language on the way too". And a very beautiful language at that too.

If Bal was looking to put right the "mistakes" he made in his Stockholm races, so too was Alain Bernard, Olympic 100m freestyle champion and now feeling sharper top race faster at the final round of the cup at the start of his build-up to Rome 2009