They say that every little girl dreams of being a ballerina,

• Published date: 26 October 2023
• Author: OWN Correspondent
• Publication title: Constantiaberg Bulletin

They combined dance with their love of water to pirouette their way into the sport of artistic swimming at the ages of 5 and 8 respectively

Having trained for over two decades to perfect this graceful, athletic and demanding sport, the duet recently competed at the World Championships in Japan to secure South Africa a place at the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. “We are both passionate about the sport and were thrilled to compete at the World Championships,” says Strugnell, “and then, to help secure South Africa a duet artistic swimming spot for the 2024 Olympics, was just incredible.

“We feel particularly proud to be helping create awareness for this sport and it will be fantastic to have South Africa represented in Paris next year. But, more than that, we want to promote the sport, improve the standard and showcase SA’s talent on the world stage. Whether that’s us or another duet – the big prize is to have our flag flying in Paris next year.”

However, now the real hard work begins, not only for this duo but the other artistic swimming duets. They are training to compete in three competitions – locally and internationally – in December, February and March.

“The qualification process ahead of the final selection by SA Swimming is extremely demanding,” said Strugnell. “It requires swimmers to compete three times in a very short season, which is unusual for elite athletes who usually peak maybe once or twice a year. But we all have to put the hard work in to reach our dreams.”

With their eye firmly on the Olympics, the duo is putting in the hours and, with limited or no funding for smaller sports, they balance their day jobs and over 28+ hours of training, in and out of the pool, every week.

When possible, they commute to Johannesburg to train with their head coach Vicky Drinkwater.

In Cape Town they are under the watchful eye of assistant coach, Tanya Gist, who ensures their training stays on track. Both coaches sponsor their coaching hours.

“We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us achieve what we have so far, given the financial constraints,” says Hayes-Hill. “In the ideal world, we would train full time with our local coaches and an international coach in order to gain experience as a team and take that forward to the next generation.”

Artistic swimming, formerly known as water ballet or synchronised swimming, is possibly one of the most deceptive sports.

Behind the sequined costumes, smiles and make-up are athletes with incredible stamina...