She didn’t think she would ever compete again… but then she broke three records just for fun!

Alke Stopforth

After ten years, swim coach Alke Stopforth (34) is back in the swim of things. Two weeks ago she stepped on the blocks again and broke three South African records in the masters lifesaving division at Gauteng Province Lifesaving Championships.
“I was shocked. I only started training a week before the competition. Stepping onto the blocks after a decade away, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would the years of training still be there? To my absolute surprise, the answer was a resounding yes. I came within two seconds of a South African record in my first event, and suddenly, the fire was reignited,” she said.”Those two seconds became my new goal. It was a powerful reminder that the dedication of my younger years hadn’t vanished. With renewed determination, I pushed through the rest of the competition. And then something extraordinary happened. I broke three South African records that had stood for the past ten years. It is surreal.”
Alke started competing in swimming at six years old. “At age 11, I ranked second in the world in breaststroke in my age category. I was one of the youngest swimmers to compete in senior national championships. Just before the Olympic trials in 2008, I contracted yellow fever and was still weak during the trials. I was offered a bursary to swim for the University of Pretoria, but at that stage, I was a bit tired of swimming,” she said.
“Ten years ago, I moved to Hartbeespoort and dove headfirst into competitive lifesaving, a journey that led to a gold medal and a selection to represent South Africa in the Netherlands. Life, however, had other plans, and I found myself putting those dreams on hold to focus on my new job at Pecanwood College, and swimming coach of Pecanwood Aquatics. Life took me on an incredible detour to study overseas, but I was so happy to be able to come back to Hartbeespoort in late 2021 and settle back into my life here.”
Harties Reflections Swimming and Lifesaving Club coach Lynette van Rensburg recently invited Alke to join the club’s masters division for the Gauteng Province Lifesaving Championships, a crucial step toward the upcoming Nationals at the end of April. “It was a whirlwind – a quick refresher course and a scramble to prepare,” Alke said. “What started as a fun opportunity to rejoin a team and represent Harties Reflections has turned into a passionate pursuit. The competitive spark is back, and I’m determined to improve on the records I set. Seeing my teammate, Barjo van Niekerk, a fellow South African record holder, pursue a world record has been incredibly inspiring. It’s made me wonder what my own limits might be, and what the future could hold.”
For the next month, all her focus is on training, and preparing for national championships. “I’m riding this wave of momentum and look forward to the challenge.”