Caitlin de Lange fired up ahead of the World Championships in Singapore

The TuksSport athlete will represent South Africa in the 50m freestyle and the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay at the global event, which runs from Friday until 3 August.

Part of a national squad of over 100 athletes and staff across swimming, diving, and water polo, De Lange told SABC Sport that her focus is on enjoying the experience and taking each race as it comes.

"I don't think it's good to put expectations leading up to such a big competition. My motto is always just go out and have fun and swim as best as you can and I think that's what I'll always live by no matter where I go," De Lange said.

Training alongside Pieter Coetzee under the guidance of national team coach Rocco Meiring, she told the national broadcaster that she’s optimistic about the future of South African swimming, highlighting the determination and work ethic of the country’s emerging talent. 

She is a full-time swimmer who makes a living from the sport.

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"So, I swim with Rocco Meiring our South Africa head coach at TUKS University and I feel like all our athletes are feeling pretty good in the water as we're leading up to competition so I think it's looking pretty good," she added

The 21-year-old swimmer, who set a new African record of 28.76 seconds in the 50m backstroke at the African Games in Ghana last year while representing the national team, also clinched victories in both the 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke events. 

She says she has gained valuable insights from training with and observing retired swimming legend and multiple Olympic gold medallist Tatjana Smith.

"Yeah, Tatjana was my team mate, she trained with me almost every single day and it's just nice to see that somebody has been there and proven that it's possible to achieve the highest standard out there. 

“She's a very big role model and I'd love to achieve what she's achieved one day. She's definitely set the standard and let's see if we can reach it one day."