Lara Van Niekerk

Lara van Niekerk (born 13 May 2003) is a South African competitive swimmer. She is the current African, Commonwealth, and South African record holder in the long course 50-metre breaststroke and the African and South African record holder in the short course 50-metre breaststroke. She won gold medals in the 50-metre breaststroke at the 2018 African Swimming Championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games as well as a silver medal at the 2022 World Short Course Championships and the bronze medal at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships (long course) in the same event. In the 100-metre breaststroke, she won gold medals at the 2018 African Swimming Championships and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Background

Van Niekerk was born 13 May 2003 in South Africa."Lara Van Niekerk: Results"
'' FINA''. Retrieved 6 April 2022.

Career

2017–2019

At the 2017 African Junior Swimming Championships in Cairo, Egypt in March, Van Niekerk won a total of five medals including gold medals in the 100-metre breaststroke, 4×100-metre mixed medley relay, 50-metre breaststroke, 4×100-metre medley relay, and a silver medal in the 200-metre breaststroke.

In 2018, at the year's African Swimming Championships in Algiers, Algeria, Van Niekerk won a gold medal in each of the four events she competed."13th CANA Swimming Championships - Algiers (Algeria) 2018: Full Set of Results"
(in French). '' Swimming South Africa''. Retrieved 6 April 2022. She won her first gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke with a time of 2:35.25.D'Addona, Dan (11 September 2018)
"Egypt's Farida Osman Sets CANA Africa Swimming Record in 50 Fly; South Africa Wins 8 Medals"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved 6 April 2022. For her second gold medal, she won the 50-metre breaststroke with a new Championships record time of 31.99 seconds, which broke the former record of 32.06 seconds set by Tilka Paljk of Zambia in the prelims heats.D'Addona, Dan (12 September 2018)
"Lara van Niekerk Breaks CANA Africa Swimming and Open Water Championship Record"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved 6 April 2022. In the 100-metre breaststroke, she won her third gold medal of the Championships, finishing over eight-tenths of a second ahead of the silver medalist in the event with a time of 1:11.13.D'Addona, Dan (13 September 2018)
"Farida Osman Wins; Egypt, South Africa Lean CANA Africa Championships"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved 6 April 2022. For her fourth and final event of the Championships, she concluded with another gold medal, this time helping win the 4×100-metre medley relay in 4:12.83, splitting a 1:10.40 for the breaststroke leg of the relay.Ross, Andy (15 September 2018)
"Egypt Extends Lead On South Africa At the Africa Swimming and Open Water Championships"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved 6 April 2022.

The following year, Van Niekerk competed in four events at the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, placing fourth in the 50-metre breaststroke with a 31.12, 20th in the 100-metre breaststroke with a 1:10.95, 30th in the 200-metre breaststroke with a 2:36.91, and tenth in 4:15.71 as part of the 4×100-metre medley relay with a split of 1:11.42 for the breaststroke leg of the relay. FINA (25 August 2019)
"7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019 Budapest (HUN): Results Book"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 6 April 2022.

2021

In April 2021, at the 2021 South Africa National Swimming Championships in Gqeberha, Van Niekerk won the silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke with a time of 1:07.40, which was 1.68 seconds faster than the Olympic Selection Time of 1:09.08 and 0.33 seconds slower than the Olympic Qualification Time of 1:07.07, however she was not sent to represent South Africa at the 2020 Summer Olympics as that one roster spot went to automatic qualifier Tatjana Schoenmaker who won the gold medal in an Olympic Qualifying Time."TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: Qualifying Time Standards - SW"
'' FINA''. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2023."Memo: Qualification System_ Games of the XXXII Olympiad _ Tokyo 2020"
'' FINA''. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2023.Ross, Andy (11 April 2021)
"Tatjana Schoenmaker Adds Second Event For Tokyo With 1:05 100 Breaststroke at South African Nationals"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved 15 April 2023.

At the 2021 South Africa National Short Course Championships in Pietermaritzburg in September, Van Niekerk set two new African and South African records in the short course 50-metre breaststroke, first setting a mark of 30.06 seconds in the prelims heats, then lowering her records to a time of 29.85 seconds in the final.Race, Retta (16 September 2021)
"Van Niekerk Becomes First South African Woman Under 30 Seconds In SCM 50 Breast"
''SwimSwam''. Retrieved 6 April 2022."Lara van Niekerk in fine form as records tumble in Pietermaritzburg"
'' News24''. Retrieved 6 April 2022. Her swim made her the first South African woman to swim the race in less than 30 seconds.Abrahams, Celine (20 December 2021)
"Lara van Niekerk New 50m Breaststroke African Record Holder"
''gsport.co.za''. Retrieved 6 April 2022. Approximately two months later, she set new African, South African, and Commonwealth records in the long course 50-metre breaststroke with a time of 29.88 seconds at the 2021 Northern Tigers Swimming Championships in Pretoria.Race, Retta (20 September 2021)
"Van Niekerk Hits New South African LCM 50 Breast Record In Pretoria"
''SwimSwam''. Retrieved 6 April 2022. With her time of 29.88 seconds, she also became the first South African woman to finish the event faster than 30 seconds and the seventh-fastest female swimmer in the event in history.Isaacson, David (9 January 2022)
"Lara van Niekerk looking to make her mark in the pool"
'' TimesLIVE''. Retrieved 6 April 2022.

2022

2022 South Africa National Championships (LC)

Van Niekerk swam faster than 1:07.00 in the long course 100-metre breaststroke twice at the 2022 Grand Prix international meet number two in Durban in February, first swimming a personal best time of 1:06.52 in the preliminary heats, then a 1:06.74 in the final.Hy-Tek (20 February 2022)
"2022 Grand Prix 2 Invitational Meet Durban: Results"
'' Swimming South Africa''. Retrieved 9 April 2022.Race, Retta (19 February 2022)
"Le Clos Back To Racing In Durban After Bronchitis Hospital Stay"
''SwimSwam''. Retrieved 9 April 2022. For the 2022 South Africa National Swimming Championships in Gqeberha in April, in part a selection meet to determine the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games South Africa team members, she entered to compete in the 50-metre breaststroke, 50-metre freestyle, 50-metre butterfly, and 100-metre breaststroke."2022 SA National Aquatic Championships - Swimming: Psych Sheet"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022. On the first day of competition, 6 April, she set new African, South African, and Commonwealth records in the 50-metre breaststroke, lowering her former mark of 29.88 seconds from 2021 to 29.72 seconds in the prelims heats of the event.Hamann, Michael (6 April 2022)
"South African Champs Day 1 Prelims: Van Niekerk Blasts World-Leading 50 Breast"
''SwimSwam''. Retrieved 6 April 2022."Lara van Niekerk smashes records at swimming championships"
''Independent Online''. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.Chetty, Amir (7 April 2022)
"Van Niekerk shines on opening day of national swimming champs"
'' TimesLIVE''. Retrieved 7 April 2022."Van Niekerk Shines On Opening Day Of National Swimming Championships"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022. The records were ratified by the governing body for aquatic sports in South Africa, Swimming South Africa, on 7 April 2022.

In the final, Van Niekerk placed first in 30.60 seconds, finishing 0.27 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Tatjana Schoenmaker and attaining a qualifying time for both the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games. SwimSA TV (5 April 2022)
"SA National Swimming Championships 2022"
'' YouTube''. Retrieved 6 April 2022.Race, Retta (6 April 2022)
"Van Niekerk, Canny, Coetze Qualify For Budapest World Championships"
''SwimSwam''. Retrieved 6 April 2022."Coetzé and Schoenmaker qualifies for Birmingham Commonwealth Games"
'' SuperSport''. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022. In the prelims heats of the 50-metre freestyle on day two, she swam a 27.53 in prelims heat six and did not advance to the final in the evening. SwimSA TV (7 April 2022)
"SA National Swimming Championships 2022 Day 2"
'' YouTube''. Retrieved 7 April 2022. For the 50-metre butterfly prelims heats on day three, she placed sixth in prelims heat one with a time of 28.57 seconds, not making the top eight across all prelims heats and thus not qualifying for the evening final. SwimSA TV (8 April 2022)
"National Aquatics Championships 2022 Day 3"
'' YouTube''. Retrieved 8 April 2022. On the fourth day, in the prelims heats of the 100-metre breaststroke, she swam a personal best time of 1:06.08 and qualified for the evening final, where she went on to swim a personal best time of 1:05.67 to win the gold medal and achieve a qualifying time for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games. SwimSA TV (9 April 2022)
"National Aquatics Championships 2022 Day 4"
'' YouTube''. Retrieved 9 April 2022.Isaacson, David (9 April 2022)
"Tatjana Schoenmaker downed by Lara van Niekerk in the 100m breaststroke"
'' TimesLIVE''. Retrieved 9 April 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (9 April 2022)
"18-year-old matric pupil stuns Olympic superstar Tatjana Schoenmaker at SA swim champs"
'' News24''. Retrieved 9 April 2022. She was named to both the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games teams."Veteran Le Clos joins teenage brigade in SA Team for swimming World Championships"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.du Plessis, Lindsay (9 June 2022)
"Le Clos, Schoenmaker named in South Africa Commonwealth Games squad"
'' ESPN''. Retrieved 19 June 2022.

2022 World Aquatics Championships

In her first event of the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the 100-metre breaststroke, Van Niekerk qualified for the evening semifinals with a time of 1:06.75 and rank of tenth from the preliminaries. FINA (19 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Women's 100m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 19 June 2022. She equalled her time of 1:06.75 in the semifinals, this time placing thirteenth and not advancing to the final. FINA (19 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Women's 100m Breaststroke Semifinals Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 19 June 2022."Semifinal performances from Van Niekerk and Sates"
'' SuperSport''. 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022. In the preliminaries of the 50-metre breaststroke five days later, she ranked first overall with a time of 29.77 seconds and advanced to the semifinals. FINA (24 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Women's 50m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 24 June 2022."SA's Lara van Niekerk qualifies for 50m breaststroke final at World Championships"
''Independent Online''. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (24 June 2022)
"SA swimmer Van Niekerk edges close to African record en route to world champs semi-final"
'' News24''. Retrieved 24 June 2022. She finished in a time of 29.99 seconds in the semifinals, qualifying for the final ranking third behind Benedetta Pilato of Italy and Rūta Meilutytė of Lithuania. FINA (24 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Women's 50m Breaststroke Semifinals Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 24 June 2022. In the final of the 50-metre breaststroke, she won the first medal for South Africa in any aport at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, a bronze medal with a time of 29.90 seconds, and continued on the streak of South Africa winning at least one medal at a FINA World Aquatics Championships since 2001. FINA (25 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Results"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 25 June 2022.Butler, Lynn (25 June 2022)
"Teen Lara van Niekerk claims bronze as SA wins first medal at FINA World Championships"
'' News24''. Retrieved 25 June 2022."Van Niekerk Claims SA's First World Champs Medal"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.

2022 Commonwealth Games

On the first day of swimming at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, England starting the month following the World Championships, Van Niekerk ranked first in the preliminaries of the 50-metre breaststroke, setting a new Games record with her time of 29.82 seconds and qualifying for the semifinals."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Women's 50m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary"
''Longines''. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.Burnard, Lloyd (29 July 2022)
"Teenager Van Niekerk lands SA's first punch in Birmingham with record swim: 'I just felt so good'"
'' News24''. Retrieved 29 July 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (29 July 2022)
"Top-10 triathlon finish for SA's Riddle as Van Niekerk makes a record-breaking splash"
'' SuperSport''. Retrieved 29 July 2022.Lambley, Garrin (29 July 2022)
"Commonwealth Games results: Team SA star Lara van Niekerk smashes breaststroke record"
''The South African''. Retrieved 29 July 2022. She lowered her Games record to a 29.80 in the semifinals, qualifying for the final ranking first."Commonwealth Games Day 1: Van Niekerk powers again to Games record to advance to 50m final, Le Clos fails to defend 50m fly"
'' News24''. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022."Van Niekerk breaks Games record as three South Africans book spot in same final"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022."Lara van Niekerk sets new Games record"
''eNCA''. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022. In the final the following day, she won the gold medal with a Games record time of 29.73 seconds."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Results"
''Longines''. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022."Double gold for SA swimmers in Birmingham"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.Ramara, Sifiso (31 July 2022)
"South African swimmers win two gold medals at Commonwealth Games"
''SABC News''. Retrieved 31 July 2022. Her gold medal was the first medal of any kind for South Africa at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in any sport.Botton, Wesley (30 July 2022)
"Lara van Niekerk wins first gold for Team SA at Commonwealth Games"
''The Citizen (South African newspaper), The Citizen''. Retrieved 30 July 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (30 July 2022)
"Golden double for SA swimmers in Birmingham"
'' SuperSport''. Retrieved 30 July 2022.Taylor, Craig (30 July 2022)
"Van Niekerk, Coetze claim SA's first gold medals of Commonwealth Games"
'' News24''. Retrieved 30 July 2022.

Day four, Van Niekerk qualified for the semifinals of the Swimming at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – Women's 100 metre breaststroke, 100-metre breaststroke with a 1:06.40 in the morning preliminaries, which was 0.70 seconds ahead of second-ranked Tatjana Schoenmaker.Burnard, Lloyd (1 August 2022)
"Schoenmaker, Van Niekerk set for epic showdown as SA swimmers shine in Birmingham"
'' News24''. Retrieved 1 August 2022. Swimming under the 1:06.00 threshold for the first time at a Commonwealth Games in the semifinals with a time of 1:05.96, she qualified for the final of the event along with fellow South Africans Tatjana Schoenmaker, who ranked second, and Kaylene Corbett, who ranked seventh."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Women's 100m Breaststroke Semi-Finals Results Summary"
''Longines''. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022. She won the gold medal in the final with a personal best time of 1:05.47."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results"
''Longines''. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.Botton, Wesley (2 August 2022)
"SA's golden girls shine again in the pool at Commonwealth Games"
''The Citizen (South African newspaper), The Citizen''. Retrieved 2 August 2022."Golden girl Van Niekerk makes it two from two as SA swimmers rake in more medals"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022. Later in the session, she helped set new African and South African records in the Swimming at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – Mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay, 4×100-metre mixed medley relay in the final, splitting a 1:05.41 to contribute to the new records's time of 3:44.38 and help place fourth."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Final Results"
''Longines''. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022. Day six of six, she split a 1:05.56 in the final of the Swimming at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay, 4×100-metre medley relay, contributing to a fourth-place finish less than two-tenths of a second behind the team from England in a new African and South African record time of 3:59.63."Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: Women's 4x100m Medley Relay Final Results"
''Longines''. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.

2022 South Africa National Championships (SC)

At the 2022 South Africa Short Course Championships, held in mid-August in Pietermaritzburg, Van Niekerk set a new African record in the 50-metre breaststroke with a time of 29.62 seconds, which doubled as a qualifying time for the 2022 World Short Course Swimming Championships."Another African record for speedy teen Van Niekerk"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (13 August 2022)
"SA golden teen Lara van Niekerk smashes African record in Pietermaritzburg"
'' News24''. Retrieved 19 August 2022.Isaacson, David (14 August 2022)
"Lara van Niekerk lowers her own African record at SA championships"
''The Sowetan''. Retrieved 19 August 2022. Prior to setting the new record and winning the gold medal in the evening final, she set a new record of 29.67 seconds in the morning preliminaries heats. She also achieved a qualifying time, and the national title, in the 200-metre breaststroke with a personal best time of 2:22.75."Breaststroke battle ensures qualifying times at SA Short Course Champs"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022. Earlier in the Championships, she achieved qualifying and personal best times in the 100-metre breaststroke twice, first in the preliminaries heats with a time of 1:04.92, and second in the final of the event with a 1:04.89 to win the gold medal and national title."Star swimmers back in action at SA Short Course Championships"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.

2022 World Short Course Championships

On day two of the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), 2022 World Short Course Championships in December, Van Niekerk ranked second in the preliminaries of the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 100 metre breaststroke, 100 metre breaststroke at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre with a personal best time of 1:03.93, advancing to the semifinals. FINA (14 December 2022)
"16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Melbourne (AUS): Women's 100m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 14 December 2022."African record for Coetzé as Van Niekerk powers into breaststroke final"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022. For the evening session, she tied for fifth-rank in the semifinals with a time of 1:04.36 and qualified for the final. FINA (14 December 2022)
"16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Melbourne (AUS): Women's 100m Breaststroke Semifinals Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 14 December 2022. She placed fifth in the final the following day with a time of 1:04.12. FINA (15 December 2022)
"16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Melbourne (AUS): Women's 100m Breaststroke Final Results"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 15 December 2022. The fifth morning, she ranked third in the preliminaries of the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) – Women's 50 metre breaststroke, 50 metre breaststroke, setting a new African record with a time of 29.45 seconds and qualifying for the semifinals. FINA (17 December 2022)
"16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Melbourne (AUS): Women's 50m Breaststroke Heats Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 17 December 2022.Hare, Rudene (18 December 2022)
"Lara van Niekerk Shatters Her Own African Record in Melbourne"
''gsport.co.za''. Retrieved 22 December 2022. In the evening, she lowered the African record to 29.27 seconds and qualified for the final ranking third. FINA (17 December 2022)
"16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Melbourne (AUS): Women's 50m Breaststroke Semifinals Results Summary"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 18 December 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (17 December 2022)
"Sates bags bronze as Le Clos and Van Niekerk book finals spots"
'' SuperSport''. Retrieved 22 December 2022. She won the first silver medal for South Africa at the competition, and the List of World Swimming Championships (25 m) medalists (women)#50 metre breaststroke, second silver medal for South Africa in the female event following Penelope Heyns in 1999, in the final, finishing in a new African record time of 29.09 seconds. FINA (18 December 2022)
"16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Melbourne (AUS): Women's 50m Breaststroke Final Results"
''Omega Timing''. Retrieved 18 December 2022.Jonckheere, Karien (18 December 2022)
"Golden butterfly double for Le Clos as Van Niekerk secures silver"
'' SuperSport''. Retrieved 22 December 2022.

2023

At the long course 2023 South African National Championships in April in Gqeberha, Van Niekerk achieved a 2023 World Aquatics Championships qualifying time in the 100-metre breaststroke on day one with a time of 1:06.96 and overall rank of first in the morning preliminaries. SwimSA TV (12 April 2023)
"SA National Aquatic Championships 2023 Day 1"
'' YouTube''. Retrieved 13 April 2023. She improved her qualifying time to a 1:06.74 in the final, winning the silver medal."Campionati Sudafrica. Giorno 1. Pieter Coetze: 100 dorso (52.78) Rec Africa. Tatjana Schoenmaker: 100 rana (1.05.82)"
(in Italian). ''nuoto.com''. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023. On the fourth day, she won the gold medal and national title in the 50-metre breaststroke with a World Championships qualifying time of 29.78 seconds, which was 0.93 seconds faster than the next-fastest competitor. SwimSA TV (15 April 2023)
"SA National Aquatic Championships 2023 Day 4 Finals"
(time stamp, 40:07 to 44:52). '' YouTube''. Retrieved 15 April 2023."Campionati Sudafrica. Giorno 4. Chad Le Clos: 100 farfalla (51.37). Lara van Niekerk: 50 rana (29.78)"
(in Italian). ''nuoto.com''. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023. On the final day of the 2023 Mare Nostrum (swimming), Mare Nostrum tour, 21 May, she won the gold medal in the 50-metre breaststroke with a tour record time of 29.75 seconds."Mare Nostrum Monaco. DAY 2. Azzurri tre volte d’Oro. Martinenghi e Angiolini vincono nella rana, Ceccon d’argento nei 50 farfalla. Sjostroem: 50 farfalla (24.89), 50 stile libero (23.90). Haughey: 100 stile libero (52.88). Van Niekerk: 50 rana (29.75)"
(in Italian). ''nuoto.com''. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.

International championships (50 m)

International championships (25 m)

Personal best times

Long course metres (50 m pool)

Legend: AF – List of African records in swimming, African record; NR – List of South African records in swimming, South African record; CR – List of Commonwealth records in swimming, Commonwealth record

Short course metres (25 m pool)

Legend: AF – List of African records in swimming, African record; NR – List of South African records in swimming, South African record

Continental and national records

Long course metres (50 m pool)

Short course metres (25 m pool)

Awards and honours

* GSport Award, Momentum Athlete of the Year: 2022 (awarded 14 September 2022)Mokwena, Busisiwe (15 September 2022)
"Teen Lara van Niekerk wins big at gsport Awards"
'' TimesLIVE''. Retrieved 7 November 2022."Lara van Niekerk wins big at the GSport Awards 2022"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
* GSport Award, Global Woman in Sport: 2022 (awarded 14 September 2022)
* GSport Award honour, Ministerial Recognition of Excellence: 2022 (awarded 14 September 2022)
* Gauteng Sport Award finalist, Sportswoman of the Year: 2022 (announced 3 November 2022)Lonwabo M (6 November 2022)
"#gsport17 Triple Winner Lara van Niekerk Headlines Gauteng Sport Awards Finalist List"
''gsport.co.za''. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
* Gauteng Sport Award finalist, Sport Personality of the Year: 2022 (announced 3 November 2022)
* '' Swimming World'', Female African Swimmer of the Year: 2022 (awarded 24 December 2022)D'Addona, Dan (24 December 2022)
"South Africa's Lara van Niekerk Named Swimming World Female African Swimmer of the Year"
'' Swimming World''. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
* Swammy Awards, Swammy Award, African Female Swimmer of the Year: 2022 (awarded 27 December 2022)Penland, Spencer (27 December 2022)
"2022 Swammy Awards: African Female Swimmer of the Year - Lara van Niekerk"
''SwimSwam''. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
* SA Sports Award, South African Sportsperson of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year: 2022 (awarded 25 March 2023)"Swimming South Africa celebrates top achievers at SA Sports Awards"
'' Swimming South Africa''. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.

See also

* List of African records in swimming

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:van Niekerk, Lara
2003 births
Living people
South African female swimmers
South African female breaststroke swimmers
Swimmers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games competitors for South Africa
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for South Africa
Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming
Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
Female breaststroke swimmers
21st-century South African women
Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games