Henré Louw targets Midmar Mile gold after narrow sprint defeat in 2025 thriller

South African swimmer Henré Louw is keen to bring home the Midmar Mile title next month after losing out to New Zealand’s Louis Clark in a thrilling sprint finish in last year’s men’s elite race.

It was a second silver medal in the past three competitions for the 23-year-old open-water swimming star, and Louw is determined to turn silver into gold at the world’s largest open-water swimming event at Midmar Dam in KwaZulu‑Natal from February 5-8.

“It was one of the most contested men’s races ever and with 150m any one of seven swimmers could have won it. (A gap of) two seconds after 1650m of swimming is nothing,” Louw told Independent Media Sport exclusively.  

“Open-water racing is unpredictable, conditions can change just before or even during the race and therefore one needs to be aware and change strategy accordingly. This year will not be different, and I will focus on my own race and control the controllables.”

The University Sports South Africa (USSA) Male Swimmer of the Year for 2025 is set to complete his Honours degree in Financial Management at the University of Pretoria this year. 

He has been swimming the Midmar Mile since the age of 10, and the iconic race holds a special place in his heart. 

“The Midmar Mile is a race with incredible history and atmosphere. I’m excited to return, challenge myself, and represent South African swimming on the global stage.”

The confirmation that French three-time Olympian and Olympic finalist Damien Joly will be joining the stacked field has added international prestige to the race, and made Louw’s mission more challenging, he admits.

“Locally, the strongest challenge is going to come from Matthew Caldwell as well as my training partners at Tuks, and internationally from the highly decorated Damien Joly,” he said.

The swimmer, who trains at Tuks Swimming club in Pretoria under legendary coach Rocco Meiring, is happy with his preparations for another thrilling Midmar showdown. 

“My preparation is on track, and I have completed a big aerobic block after university exams in November 2025. This continued during the December holiday, and I focused on big mileage weeks,” he said.  

Louw is also hoping to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Scotland later this year in the pool, while securing a spot at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is another long-term goal.