How SA's teenage superstar Lara van Niekerk struck double gold despite injury

In a kind of Ripley's Believe It or Not episode, Lara van Niekerk managed her outstanding Commonwealth Games achievements while nursing a heel injury that she's carried for most of her career.

The 19-year-old double gold medallist stole the show and South African hearts in Birmingham and did it all with a niggling heel problem that's bugged since the start.

It's something that also affects her starts from the blocks, which could pose a scary prospect for her future opponents.

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Van Niekerk's coach Eugene da Ponte told Sport24 that she would try to qualify for the FINA Short Course World Championships by competing at the SA National Short Course Invitational Championships at the Seals Swim Centre, Pietermaritzburg, starting on 11 August.

After that, she would go under the knife before rehabilitating back in time to compete again in Melbourne in December.

"We'll go straight into the SA Short Course Championships next weekend in Pietermaritzburg to try to qualify for the Short Course World Championships," said Da Ponte.

"Then, she's going to have over three weeks off because she's having surgery just after we get back.

"She's had a bit of an issue with her heel since she was a little girl.

"And because of the heel, we haven't been able to do a lot of things for training in terms of jumping and the explosiveness of starts, which is why she struggles a little bit on her starts.

"We've found an orthopaedic surgeon who is going to fix that up for us, so she'll be out of the pool for three weeks.

"And within six weeks, she should be pretty close to full strength in terms of training sessions and load.

"And we should be able to get her ready for the Short