SA swimming sensation Callan Lötter rides wave of local success toward Olympic goal

A day before turning 20, South African open water swimming sensation Callan Lötter handed herself the best birthday present – a hat-trick of titles at the South African Open Water Championships.

The tournament took place between 6 and 8 March at Marina Martinique in Jeffreys Bay, with Lötter making it her show and defending the 3km, 5km and 10km titles she clinched in 2025. For someone whose interest in open water swimming was sparked only eight years ago, Lötter has already risen to great heights in the sport.

Her impressive hat-trick at the recent championships was preceded by success at the prestigious Midmar Mile, which takes place annually at Midmar Dam in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. After finishing as runner-up in the same event a year ago, Lötter was hungry for gold in the 2026 edition.

Lötter pride

She told Daily Maverick that her maiden Midmar success was a great motivator in the lead-up to her dominance in the championships.

“I feel really proud that I was able to defend my open water titles,” Lötter said. “I was not nervous. In fact, I was really excited for the race. Because I knew that with the work I’d put in, I’d be able to swim well; to swim fast. It was nice because most of my friends that I train with were also at the championships.

“Winning the Midmar Mile ahead of the national champs was a confidence booster because it showed me that my training was working, and it showed that I was on the right track to defend my titles at the nationals,” Lötter said.

“Midmar is also a shorter race. So, winning it showed me that I have the speed to finish fast in a longer race.”

While Lötter has gradually established herself with her domestic dominance in open water swimming (since she was roped into the sport by a friend as a 12-year-old), one of the factors behind her strong start in 2026 is a collaboration with Olympian Troyden “Troy” Prinsloo.

Olympian coach

Prinsloo represented South Africa at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, before transitioning to coaching after retiring. Prinsloo has now been coaching for 12 years and cannot stop raving about Lötter.

“I see a lot of myself in Callan,” Prinsloo told Daily Maverick. “She is by far one of the best swimmers that I’ve coached when it comes to what it takes to make it to the top, be it the World Championships or the Olympic Games. She’s fully committed, she’s hard working and she’s super focused.

“She’s also tough. She can handle pretty much any set that I give her and she’s always willing to go the extra mile. One of the most important traits that she has is the ability to adapt very quickly. She’s also consistent. We don’t go for a few weeks and then take a step back. That’s something special that I’ve seen from her as a coach,” the 40-year-old swimming coach stated.

“She’s an Olympic athlete, because that’s exactly what Olympic athletes do. They are willing to put in that extra work and make all the big sacrifices without complaining. I’m excited to see how the remainder of this season goes, as well as the next couple of years leading up to the Los Angeles Olympics.”

Olympic dream

Lötter currently a top-20 open water swimmer globally. But to secure direct passage to the LA-hosted Games in two years time she will need to finish on the podium of the open water category at the 2027 World Aquatics Championships. It’s a tough ask, but between now and then, Lötter and her coach want her to obtain as much international race mileage as possible.

Lötter is also hopeful that a change in mentality, which was ignited by Prinsloo, will boost her quest to improve. The pair have been working together since late 2025 and Prinsloo advised her to press the accelerator from the onset during races. Previously the 20-year-old started off slowly and then caught up to the competition.

“Before the nationals we have these seeding events that we do. So, at those events, I tried to race the boys. Because the boys and girls race together there. The boys normally go out pretty hard, before they bring it back at the end,” Lötter said.

“So, swimming with the boys there gave me the confidence to try to replicate that in a race against other women. My coach and I had set a goal of a time we wanted. And we knew that if I swam that time, I was not going to be swimming with other people. I was going to be swimming alone,” she added.

“But swimming from the front is harder, because you don’t have anyone to swim off of. I feel like that experience has given me better preparation for my international races, where I can keep up the pace with the other elite women.”

Although the pursuit of this sport is far from cheap, especially at the level Lötter dreams of reaching, she says she is grateful for the support of her parents Anton and Marietjie Lötter. With them, as well as her friends and coach Prinsloo by her side, she believes the sky’s the limit. DM