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Team SA named for Commonwealth Games

Caster Semenya of South Africa set a new 600m world record. Getty

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has confirmed the list of athletes which have been picked to represent South Africa at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

This year's Games take place from 4-15 April in Gold Coast, the fifth time that they are taking place in Australia.

In the process of naming their squad, SASCOC have also confirmed that Team South Africa athletes will do battle across 16 of the 18 sporting codes on offer -- basketball and beach volleyball being the odd ones out.

"As SASCOC we're very excited to deliver this team for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games," said SASCOC President Gideon Sam in a press release. "Many hours of planning have gone into preparing this team.

"Two years out from the Tokyo Olympics, these Games are a great platform to see where our sportsmen and women, both established and developing, are on the world stage.

"You will see that it's a great blend of experience and raw talent and I'm confident we'll once again be right up there with the cream of Commonwealth countries and looking to improve on our seventh place on the medals table in Glasgow four years ago.

"I urge every athlete to go to Australia and be the very best athlete they can be and fly the rainbow nation's flag high."

Aquatics -- which yielded a Team SA-best 12 medals at Glasgow 2014 -- is the biggest code in terms of numbers with 28 (23 swimmers, three divers and two para- swimmers). Athletics and cycling both feature 18.

The candidates for gold medals will come from South Africa's stars of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

In this regard Caster Semenya, silver medallist swimmers Cameron van der Burgh and Chad le Clos, field athletes Luvo Manyonga and Sunette Louw (previously Viljoen) and bronze medallists Henri Schoeman (triathlon) and the Blitzboks rugby sevens side.

Para-sport also features Rio Paralympics double gold medallist Charl du Toit and gold medallists, Hilton Langenhoven, Reinhardt Hamman and Dyan Buis.

In Glasgow four years ago the team ended seventh, with a total medal count of 40 (13 gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze), but their best finishes are finished fifth on the medals table on three occasions (Kuala Lumpur, 1998; Melbourne, 2006 and New Delhi, 2010).

Team SA for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games:

AQUATICS

Swimming -- Women: Erin Gallagher, Tatjana Schoenmaker, Dune Coetzee, Kate Beavon, Kaylene Corbett, Emily

Visagie, Marlies Ross, Nathania van Niekerk, Kristin Bellingan, Mariella Venter and Emma Chelius

Men: Ayrton Sweeney, Cameron van der Burgh, Chad le Clos, Jarryd Baxter, Brad Tandy, Brent Szurdoki, Martin Binedell, Ryan Coetzee, Eben Vorster, Luan Grobbelaar, Calvyn Justus and Michael Houlie.

Para-swimming: Christian Sadie, Kaleb van der Merwe

Diving: Nicole Gillis, Micaela Bouter, Julia Vincent

ATHLETICS

Women: Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen and Wenda Nel

Men: Akani Simbine, Antonio Alkana, Constant Pretorius, LJ van Zyl, Lebogang Shange, Wayne Snyman, Luvo Manyonga, Ruswahl Samaai, Phil-Mar Janse van Rensburg and Breyton Poole.

Para-athletics -- Women: Juanelie Meijer

Men: Ndodomzi Ntutu, Hilton Langenhoven, Dyan Buis, Charl du Toit, Union Sekailwe, Reinhardt Hamman and Juanre Jenkinson

BADMINTON

Women: Elsie de Villiers, Johanita Scholtz and Michelle Butler-Emmett

Men: Bongani von Bodenstein, Cameron Coetzer and Prakash Vijayanath

BOXING

Siyabulela Mphongoshi and Sinethemba Blom

CYCLING

Road -- Women: Ashleigh Moolman Pasio

Men: Willie Smit, Nicholas Dlamini, Clint Hendricks and Brendon Davids

Track -- Women: Charlene du Preez, Elfriede Wolfaardt, Ilze Bole, Danielle van Niekerk and Adelia Neethling

Men: Steven van Heerden, Nolan Hoffmann, David Maree, Joshua van Wyk and Gert Fouchè

Mountain biking -- Women: Mariske Strauss and Cherie Redecker

Men: Alan Hatherly

HOCKEY

Men's team: Gowan Jones, Siyavuya Nolutshungu, Daniel Bell, Jethro Eustice, Gareth Heyns, Tyson Dlungwana, Austin Smith, Daniel Sibbald, Timothy Drummond, Reza Rosenburg, Ryan Julius, Owen Mvimbi, Clinton Panther, Nqobile Ntuli, Abdud-Dayaan Cassiem, Keenan Horne, Tevin Kok and Ryan Crowe

Women's team: Phumelela Mbande, Nicole la Fleur, Erin Hunter, Nicole Walraven, Lisa-Marie Deetlefs, Celia Evans, Nicolene Terblanche, Shelley Jones, Quanita Bobbs, Kristen Paton, Ilse Davids, Stephanie Baxter, Ongeziwe Mali, Dirkie Chamberlain, Candice Manuel, Sulette Damons, Jade Mayne and Bernadette Coston

LAWN BOWLS

Women: Elma Davis, Esme Kruger, Nicolene Neal, Colleen Piketh and Johanna Snyman

Men: Gerald Baker, Petrus Breitenbach, Jason Evans, Josephus Jacobs and Morgan Muvhango

PARA-LAWN BOWLS

Women: Princess Schroeder

Director: Annatjie van Rooyen

Men: Tobias Botha, Willem Viljoen, Christopher Patton and Philippus Walker

Director: Graham Ward

NETBALL

Bongiwe Msomi, Karla Pretorius, Erin Burger, Izette Griesel, Maryka Holtzhausen, Danelle Lochner, Phumza Maweni, Precious Mthembu, Shadine van der Merwe, Ine-­Mari Venter, Zanele Vimbela and Lenize Potgieter

RUGBY SEVENS

Men's team: To be announced end of February

Women's team: Nadine Roos, Eloise Webb, Unathi Mali, Rights Mkhari, Zintle Mpupha, Veroeshka Grain, Zenay Jordaan, Marithy Pienaar, Mathrin Simmers, Christelene Steinhobel, Chane Stadler and Zinthle Ndawonde

SHOOTING

Bartholomeus Pienaar, Pierre Basson, Arno Haasbroek and Andre du Toit

TRIATHLON

Women: Gillian Sanders and Simone Ackermann

Men: Richard Murray, Henri Schoeman and Wian Sullwald

WEIGHTLIFTING

Johanni Taljaard, Mona Pretorius and Celestie Engelbrecht

WRESTLING

Jan Louwrens Combrinck, Terry van Rensburg, Johannes Botha, Michael Gaitskill and Martin Erasmus

PARA-POWERLIFTING

Ricardo Fitzpatrick

PARA-TABLE TENNIS

Theo Cogill