Ho favourite to win aQuelle Midmar Mile

"Midmar is a place that I am comfortable and confident with," he said at the official press launch for the event in Pietermaritzburg last week. "We can't control the conditions. If I could I would, but Midmar is somewhere where I am relaxed. It is one of those races where I do feel a lot more confident than if I am swimming overseas."

Not that swimming overseas has proved a problem for Ho, who became the first South African to win a medal at the Fina World Championships in 2009 in Rome, when he won a bronze medal in the 5km event.

Took a dip

"After getting the bronze in 2009, I was on a high. I continued that success into 2010 winning the overall title in the Fina 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup, but I took a bit of a dip in 2011 and 2012, not qualifying for the Olympics, so I lost some motivation and confidence," he revealed.

"However, after that fourth place in the 5km and eighth place in the 10km open water in Barcelona, my confidence is back and I know I can compete against the best in the world. Hopefully I can continue that kind of performance into this year's Midmar Mile."

As the man who has set the bar at the Midmar Mile, Ho admitted that he has created some pressure for himself. "There is pressure on me as the defending champion to keep on winning. Having won four in a row has added that little bit more pressure, but I try not to think about it too much," he explained.

Adjustment is required

There is some adjustment required to swim the mile when compared to the usual distances of five and ten kilometres that Ho competes over, but he has not adjusted his training programme for the greater speed required at the Midmar Mile.

"I haven't changed my programme at all. I've found that it works for me for the past few years, so I don't want to tweak it. I'm just keeping it as normal. If something does go wrong, I will reassess, but my training programme is probably going to stay as it is for quite a while."

Ho said he is excited to see the direction the sport is moving in in South Africa. "I want to see the sport grow. I want to see development come through or local talent or youngsters coming up, so it's exciting to see the potential emerging. Hopefully one day we'll see someone else in my shoes, trying to go for six in a row."