A team of seven Namibian swimmers aged between nine and 13 collected a total of 18 medals at a recently ended South African level two regional championship.
The championship, which was hosted by Tshwane Aquatics on behalf of Swimming South Africa and Athletics Gauteng, registered 1 690 entries from 600 swimmers and was held in Pretoria over the weekend.
The Namibia Swimming Federation (NSF) had seven swimmers representing the country – Lara Steyn, 13; Naeem Robiati, 14; Oelof Badenhorst, nine; Patrick Durand, nine; Roze van Wyk, 10; Xinyue Huang, nine; and 12-year-old Zafari Zeidler.
They won five gold, six silver and seven bronze medals and finished 15th out of the 58 clubs that entered.
NSF team coach Lushano Lamprecht in a statement on Tuesday said taking part in the championships helped the young swimmers gain experience.
“The swimmers performed above and beyond their current beliefs, gaining experience through their losses and victories,” Lamprecht said.
Meanwhile, team manager Emily Durand noted that it was a privilege to take the young swimmers on tour.
“For many, it was their first tour and therefore they tried to make it as memorable as possible. We are looking forward to seeing more Namibians, especially the younger ones, competing in other events outside the country’s borders in the future,” Durand said.
The swimmers, who returned home on Monday, will now begin their preparations for the Bank Windhoek Aqua pentathlon, which will be held at the Olympia swimming pool in Windhoek on 18 March 2023.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
