After 12 years out of the pool, Hartbeespoort world champion swimmer Barjo van Niekerk (42) is back in the swim of things. And he is doing it again!

Barjo van Niekerk

Barjo recently broke four lifesaving world records in the 40-44 age group during the DHL Masters and Senior Open Championships, only a few months after he started training again. “Yes, I suppose I am back to competitive swimming,” he laughs.

After so long out of the competitive world, Barjo was invited to the National Livesaving Championships last year to hand over medals. “I was asked if I did not want to take part in the Masters championships. I thought my two kids had never seen me swimming competitively, and I thought, why not? I only entered the 50m race. I literally trained for a week. After the race, the two children were very excited and joined me in the pool. It was very special, and suddenly, all the memories came flooding back. I thought, why not get a masters team together and start training?”
He contacted swimmers who used to compete 20 and 30 years ago and put together a team at Harties Reflections Swimming and Lifesaving Club in Hartbeespoort late last year. “After only a few months, we competed in the Masters Championships in Port Elizabeth and the club won!” And Barjo made history by breaking four world records.
“I haven’t been inactive since I stopped competing. I did cross-fit training, so I was fit, but I hadn’t been swimming. I was really surprised.” About his return to competitive swimming, he feels he is doing it more for fun than to win. “My wife would disagree. She would say I’m doing it to win,” he laughs. “Swimming is a great sport when you are older, and you can swim until you are old. There is a lot of therapeutic value in swimming, and it is great to do it with my children, Barjean (7) and Anelynne (4), who both swim at Harties Reflections. I have a different mindset now. This is not as competitive as it used to be when I was young.”
Barjo stopped swimming competitively in 2013 after the World Games in Columbia. He started when he was eight years old, won two gold medals at the 2004 World Lifesaving Championships and various podium places until 2013. “At the time, I felt I had had a good run, but it was time for something else. You get to a stage where you get tired of all the training. One has to work as well.” And then a family and a business followed… But now that he is back in the pool, he is looking forward to taking part in the World Championships in 2026.
“It’s more fun now than anything else. Maybe it is just age and experience. I do not take it as seriously. My wife Chanél has been through the swimming mill with me since school. When I announced that I was taking part in the Masters Championships last year, she asked whether I was really doing this again! However, she and the children have been the biggest motivation to get back in the pool again. Without their support, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”