Alan Fritz hails Rocco Meiring as the country’s best coach

Meiring, who won the award last year after guiding Tatjana Smith to two Olympic medals, has once again impressed after helping rising star Pieter Coetze win three medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

The awards will be held at Sun City on 23 August, where Meiring will compete against athletics sprint coach Thabo Matebedi and Proteas cricket mentor Shukri Conrad in a highly competitive category.  

"He is truly the best coach in terms of performance, not only in swimming but in sport in general."

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The former swimming coach described Meiring as a true master of the sport and compared his influence on swimming to the impact Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has had on rugby.

"He is a master at what he does and he understands swimming inside and out. Had he been working at a better facility I'm convinced he would've produced even more World Class Champions. I would compare him with Rassie Erasmus, both know their sport and know exactly what they want from their athletes."

The former SASCOC board member said the nomination is fully deserved and revealed that he sent a heartfelt message thanking Meiring for his outstanding contribution to South African sport.

Drawing from his own experience as a former coach, Fritz believes swimming coaching is one of the toughest jobs in all of sport. 

He says Meiring works tirelessly to keep his swimmers motivated, happy, and performing at the highest possible level.