By Adnaan Mohamed
Elite sport rarely follows a straight lane. It is shaped by cold mornings, lonely kilometres and competitions that matter long before medals are on the line. That is where South Africa’s reigning aQuellé Midmar Mile champions, Callan Lotter and Matthew Caldwell, find themselves as the country’s swimmers begin their Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow this week.
Their immediate focus lies further west, with selection for next month’s Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California offering another important marker on the road to international relevance.
From 12 to 15 August, two of South Africa’s brightest distance swimmers will compete against some of the strongest fields in world swimming. The meeting is more than another championship. It is an opportunity to measure progress, expose weaknesses and gain the type of experience that cannot be replicated in training pools at home.
For Lotter, the reigning women’s Midmar Mile champion, the occasion carries added significance.
“It will be my first Pan Pacific Championships and I’m extremely excited,” she said. “It’s a huge opportunity to race against some of the best swimmers in the world and gain valuable international experience while representing South Africa.”
She will contest the 10km open water race together with the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events, embracing a programme that mirrors her growing versatility.
Lotter also sees California as an early reconnaissance mission ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
“Being able to compete in California gives me experience with the travel, time zone, environment and overall international racing atmosphere, which will be valuable preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.”
Caldwell, who claimed the men’s Midmar Mile title earlier this year, will make his own Pan Pacific debut across the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle disciplines.
“It’s my first time competing at Pan Pacs. I am over the moon to be going there,” he said. “It’s a very big competition for me and to be racing the top athletes is very, very cool. I can learn a lot from it.”
He believes familiarity with the environment could prove invaluable when Olympic qualification and medals become the focus.
“It’ll be very good to be that side and experiencing how everything works, so it’s not a big shock when two years come by.”
Both swimmers acknowledge that preparing through South Africa’s winter has demanded discipline.
“Training has been going really well,” said Lotter. “The winter months are definitely challenging, but we’ve stayed consistent and focused on the bigger picture.”
Caldwell echoed that view.
“Once you’ve got a goal in mind, it makes it a lot easier to be training through the cold mornings, cold afternoons.”
That bigger picture still includes Midmar. South Africa’s iconic open water event remains a proving ground where elite ambitions intersect with community participation.
“Midmar is always a major goal, so the build-up will involve a strong training block,” said Lotter.
Caldwell added: “From December I’ll be building up until Midmar. I’m very excited to be racing there again.”
Entries for the 2027 aQuellé Midmar Mile, scheduled for 11 to 14 February, are already open. While thousands will gather at Midmar Dam for the challenge, Lotter and Caldwell offer a reminder that the event is more than a sporting tradition. It remains one of South African swimming’s most reliable springboards to the international stage.
