Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Team Namibia won nine medals at the Africa Aquatics Junior Championships at the Cairo Stadium in Egypt.
The four-day youth event concluded this past weekend.
Namibian swimmers Oliver Durand and Lorenzo Esterhuizen reached the 400m Individual Medley finals. Durand, 18, broke the Africa Aquatics record with a time of 4:26.00. Esterhuizen, 16, finished sixth in the same race with a time of 4:48.68.
The Namibia Aquatic Sports Federation said the event brought “cool winds and even cooler performances” from the team. Several swimmers reached the finals, creating memorable moments in the federation’s history.
Ariana Naukosho reached the 200m breaststroke finals, finishing seventh with a time of 2:54.63. Madison Bergh placed sixth in the 200m freestyle finals in a time of 2:16.76.
In the 200m backstroke finals, Esterhuizen returned to place sixth with a time of 2:13.77.
Both relay teams qualified for the finals. The women’s 100m relay team, Bergh, Jessica Humphrey, Roselinda Matyayi, and Naukosho, came third in a time of 4:36.18.
The men’s relay team, Luke Beukes, Esterhuizen, Nathan Bock, and Liam Kinnaird, finished fourth with a time of 3:59.82.
Namibia ended the tournament in fourth place overall out of 44 participating countries.
“Swimming as a sport code is worthy of recognition and respect. Namibia Swimming is definitely ready for the Region 5 Youth Games that are scheduled from 5 to 8 July 2025. Swimming Namibia is moving from strength to strength, and we are extremely proud of what Namibia aquatics has achieved in the past year,” said the Namibia Aquatics Sports Federation.
