Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Namibian swimmers began day one of the African Aquatics Junior Swimming Championship in Cairo with mixed results.
The four-day competition, which started on Wednesday, brings together swimmers from 44 African countries.
The event serves as a platform for young athletes to improve their personal times and prepare for the Junior World Championships in Romania in July, as well as meets scheduled for later this year in Nigeria and Senegal.
Lorenzo Esterhuizen, 16, swam the 100m backstroke in 59.68 seconds. He scored 628 points and qualified for the Junior World Championships.
Jessica Humphrey placed third in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1:05.21. Roselinda Matyayi followed in seventh place, clocking 1:08.99 in the same race.
In the 400m event, Maya Brinkmann, 17, secured fifth place. Ariana Naukosho, 18, finished sixth.
Oliver Durand collected a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:04.14.
Madison Bergh broke the Namibian 1500m freestyle record previously held by Anita Kruger. She improved the time by 22 seconds, finishing in 18:12.28.
Luke Beukes, 17, competed in the 50m butterfly. He scored 629 points with a time of 25.98 seconds.
The country is also represented at the championship by swimmers Roselinda Matyayi, Carissa Steyn, Nathan Bock, Ariana Naukosho, and Liam Kinnaird.
