Graham Hill is a very proud national coach.

Not only did the South African swim team achieve their greatest success at an Olympic Games, but his swimmer, Chad le Clos, produced the best performance by a male South African swimmer since the country was readmitted to international sport in 1992.

"I am extremely proud of the team for what they have achieved. It was a great team to work with and there was no negativity. The whole team supported each other and that was great to work with," said Hill.

Hill, a former competitive swimmer, has been coaching for 26 years. He has been travelling with various swim teams for the past 13 years and also coached Terence Parkin, who clinched a silver at the 2 000 Sydney Olympics.

Hill said being a swimming coach is like being on an emotional roller-coaster.

"The one minute you are ecstatic and the next moment you are disappointed. I was disappointed with the 4x100m medley team, but those guys are still young swimmers and they can only get better. I selected the members of the team for the morning heats, so I take full responsibility that they did not make the final," he said.

Although Cameron Van der Burgh and Le Clos showed excellent form, not all the swimmers swam their best times in London.

"It is a known fact that 70 per cent swimmers do not get their best times at the Olympic Games. It is not uncommon. Some swimmers just make the Olympic qualifying time, but they need to swim this time consistently in order to reach a final at the Olympics. Chad could on any given day swim the required time and that is why he reached four individual finals," said Hill.

He was as proud of Van der Burgh, who came to the Olympics with a nation expecting him to win gold.

"He handled everything very well and stayed focused at all times, even though there was a lot of pressure on him."

Hill acknowledged that South Africa's women swimmers are not on the same level as their male counterparts.

"We talked about the problem so many times. I think as the coach I need to take a harder approach to the women in my squad. One tends to be harder on the men than on the women. That must end as it is war out there in the sporting world and they must know it."

Hill said that every day he learns as a coach.

"It is a long journey and this Olympics made me wiser. I am not a coach who says 'I know it all'. I learn day by day."

Hill can't wait to get home to his wife, Hayley, and two daughters, Katie and Madison.

"We have been on the road for more than eight weeks and while it has been fun there is no better place like home. I missed my girls, but work will not stop. The national short course championships are in August and after a short break I will be off to America for a course in coaching. So I will learn some more," he concluded.