JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- World champion Suzaan van Biljon held off strong challenges from fellow breaststroke star Cameron van der Burgh and freestyle sensation Melissa Corfe to be named as "Swimmer of the Year" on Saturday.

    Pretoria-based Van Biljon won gold in the 200 meters breaststroke at the FINA world short course championships held in Manchester, England in April this year. She also collected the bronze medal in the 100 meters breaststroke at the same event.

    Van der Burgh's biggest performance was winning bronze in the 100 meters breaststroke in Manchester, as well as a double gold in the 50 and 100 meters breaststroke at the All-Africa Games held in Algeria last year.

    At the All-Africa Games, Corfe, who hails from Durban, won the 100, 200 and 400 meters freestyle events and took home silver in the 100 and 200 meters backstroke. She was also part of the SA relay team that won the 4x 100 freestyle, 4x200 freestyle and 4x100 medley relay events.

    Swimming SA's awards committee took into account performances set between the period of May 1, 2007 to April 30, 2008.

    Natalie du Toit was named Swimming SA's "Personality of the Year". This category was decided by public voting on the internet.

    Soweto Aquatics were named as the Development Club of the Year, while Julie Adams received the award for the Learn to Swim Instructor of the Year, with Neville Phillips winning the Administer of the Year category.

    Nondlaleni Dlamini received the Volunteer of the Year honor, with Corfe's coach Graham Hill named as Coach of the Year in the Junior Athletes section.

    Fellow Durban-based coach Alisdair Hatfield held off a strong challenge from the likes of national men's water polo coach Vladimir Trninic and swim coaches Igor Omeltchenko, Dean Price and Hill to claim the "Coach of the Year" award.