Jonker sets SA backstroke record but believes she can be faster

A few years back, a coach suggested that Tayla Jonker stop “playing around” in the swimming pool and be more dedicated when training.

The Tuks BSc quantity surveying student took the words to heart. She has not regretted it.

Earlier this month, during the World Swimming Championships in Doha, the 19-year-old set a new South African record in the 50m backstroke. Her time was 28.37s. Doing so, she bettered the mark set by Olivia Nel during last year’s national championships. She also booked a place in her first-ever World Championships semifinal. Jonker was 8th in the semifinals. Last year, she competed at the World Student Games in China, setting personal best times in all backstroke events she competed in.

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Jonker believes she is capable of being even faster.

“I am a strong swimmer, but to be competitive as an international swimmer, I must improve my technical skills. If, for example, I can improve my turns and underwater skills, I will be faster. There is actually never a moment you can rest on your laurels as a swimmer. To be good is all about marginal gains.”

As a joke, the Tuks student said she prefers swimming backstroke as it is the one event she can breathe the whole time while racing. Her best distances are 50 metres and 100 metres.

“My ‘Wow’ moment as a swimmer was undoubtedly last year when I competed at the World Student Games in Chengdu. It was the first time I was selected to compete for South Africa. Seemingly, everything fell into place when I dived in to start racing. What helped was that I was clueless as to who my opponents were and how good they were. So I swam my race, not worrying about what was happening in the lanes next to me.

“During the Games, I got a lot of respect for Kaylene Corbett and Erin Gallagher. They continuously encouraged every South African swimmer, sharing tips on what to do and not to do.”

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While at school, Jonker competed in various sports, excelling every so often. It is her love for water that led to her eventually deciding to become a dedicated swimmer.

“I could play for hours in the water. But all changed when a coach suggested that I stop playing and instead start to focus on becoming a better swimmer. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the challenge of pushing myself to the limit.”

As with every young swimmer, Jonker’s dream is to compete at the Olympic Games, but she knows to do so will mean many more long, hard hours in the pool. Her best time in the 100m-backstroke (1:02.29) is about a second of the B-qualifying standard.

Jonker is currently competing at the 2024 Africa Games hosted in Ghana and will be bringing home a silver media from the 50m backstroke.

Photo credit: Reg Caldecott