William Diering

{{Short description|South African swimmer (born 1986)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = William Diering

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname = William Grant Diering

| nicknames =

| national_team = {{RSA}}

| strokes = Breaststroke

| club = TuksSport

| coach =

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|5|7|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|1.82|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|67|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates=

{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}

{{MedalCountry| South Africa}}

{{MedalCompetition|World Championships (SC)}}

{{MedalBronze| 2008 Manchester|200 m breaststroke }}

{{MedalCompetition|All-Africa Games}}

{{MedalSilver| 2007 Algiers | 200 m breaststroke}}

| show-medals = yes

| updated =

}}

William Grant Diering (born 7 May 1986) is a South African swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events.{{cite sports-reference|title = William Diering|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/di/william-diering-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418053356/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/di/william-diering-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 18 April 2020|access-date = 29 December 2012}} He finished twelfth in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and also set a new South African record (2:06.85) to earn a bronze medal at the FINA World Short Course Championships few months later in Manchester, England.{{cite news|title=World Short Course Championships: Great Britain's Kristopher Gilchrist Wins 200 Breast|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/17810.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=11 April 2008|accessdate=7 April 2013}}

Diering competed for the South African swimming squad, alongside his teammate Neil Versfeld, in the men's 200 m breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Leading up to the Games, he captured the men's 200 m breaststroke title at the South African Championships in Johannesburg with a new national record of 2:11.88 to assure his selection to the Olympic team under the FINA A-cut (2:13.70) and shave 1.72 seconds off the standard previously set by Terence Parkin in 2000.{{cite news|title=South African Championships: William Diering, Lize-Mari Retief Break African Records|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/17701.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=3 April 2008|accessdate=7 April 2013}}{{cite news|last=Ballantyne|first=Tommy|title=Schoeman packs his bags|url=http://www.thepost.co.za/schoeman-packs-his-bags-1.587407|publisher=Post (South Africa)|date=7 April 2008|accessdate=7 April 2013}} Swimming in heat six, Diering threw down a new African record in 2:10.39 to grab the eighth seed for the semifinals, and then enjoyed his teammate Versfeld joining him to the roster by 0.11 seconds to round out the top four of their heat.{{cite news|last=Lohn|first=John|title=Olympics, Swimming: Olympic Record Tumbles Twice, Daniel Gyurta Paces Qualifying in 200 Breast|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18785.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=12 August 2008|accessdate=7 April 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608175734/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/18785.asp|archivedate=8 June 2013}}{{cite web|title=Men's 200m Breaststroke Heat 6 |url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM032900/index.html |work=Beijing 2008 |publisher=NBC Olympics |accessdate=29 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821003419/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc%3DSWM032900/index.html |archivedate=21 August 2012 }} Followed by the next morning's semifinals, Diering missed the top eight final with a twelfth-place time in 2:10.21, and lost a spirited challenge for another African record feat to Versfeld (2:10.06) by just a small fraction of a second.{{cite web|title=Men's 200m Breaststroke Semifinal 2|url=http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM032200/index.html|work=Beijing 2008|publisher=NBC Olympics|accessdate=29 December 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821062423/http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/swimming/resultsandschedules/rsc=SWM032200/index.html|archivedate=21 August 2012}}

Shortly after the Olympics, Diering edged out Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli by nearly two seconds to claim the 200 m breaststroke title at the African Swimming Championships in Johannesburg with a time of 2:16.00.{{cite news|title=African Championships: William Diering Claims 200 Breast Title|url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/19735.asp|publisher=Swimming World Magazine|date=4 December 2008|accessdate=29 December 2012}}