Fourth Zone IV championship title secured in Gaborone
Namibia has once again stamped its authority on regional swimming, claiming the overall team title at the 22nd Africa Aquatics Zone IV swimming championship in Gaborone, Botswana.
The Namibia Aquatics Federation (Nasfed) proudly earned its fourth consecutive championship – a streak that started at Luanda 2023 and continued through Windhoek 2024 before securing the hat-trick in Manzini, Eswatini, last year.
Under its team captains Molina Smalley and Luke Beukes, Namibia finished at the top of the combined team standings in Gaborone with 2,610.5 points, ahead of hosts Botswana on 2,017 points and South Africa on 2,007.
Namibia also topped both the women’s and men’s overall team standings.
The four-day championships, which concluded on Saturday, saw 30 Namibian swimmers – 15 female and 15 male – compete against the best swimmers from across 13 Southern African nations.
Namibia concluded the championships with an impressive 93 medals – 44 gold, 23 silver and 26 bronze. The championship battle went down to the wire, and the road to the title was anything but easy.
Hosts Botswana entered the biggest team (42 swimmers entered for 251 events) along with Zimbabwe (42 swimmers for 198 events), compared to Namibia (30 swimmers for 187 events) and South Africa (21 swimmers for 147 events). Zimbabwe placed overall fourth (1,972 points) and Seychelles fifth (1,252).
Individual stars
The championships produced a special honour for Namibia, with Jessica Humphrey crowned the 17-29 age group victrix ludorum and Oliver Durand taking the 17-29 victor ludorum.
Humphrey was further recognised for the overall best individual female performance, scoring 732 World Aquatics points for her 100 metres backstroke time of 1:03.37, while Luke Beukes took the men’s award with 778 points for his 50m freestyle (22.73 seconds).
Namibian swimmers were also responsible for a significant number of championship records throughout the meet. The official results recorded 34 championship age-record performances by Namibians, as well as four relay records.
Jessica Humphrey (nine), Oliver Durand (nine), Vitoria de Sousa (four), Molina Smalley (two), Roselinda Matyayi (two), Oelof Badenhorst, Arkell Wellmann (two), Luke Beukes (three), Patrick Durand and Ariana Naukosho all improved individual championship age records in various events.
Team effort
While the headline performances came from Namibia’s medal winners and record breakers, the championship was ultimately won through the depth of the entire team.
From the youngest swimmers making their mark in the 11–12 age groups to the senior athletes leading the charge, Namibia consistently collected points across the programme. The final team standings — with Namibia winning both the men’s and women’s competitions — are testament to the contribution of the entire squad.
Appreciated input
Nasfed extends its sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to the success of Team Namibia in Gaborone.
A special thank you goes to head coaches Jane Samson and Nadia Jansen van Rensburg, whose guidance, commitment and support were instrumental throughout the championships.
Nasfed also acknowledged the outstanding work of team manager Cecilia Horsten, whose tireless efforts behind the scenes ensured that the team was well organised.
“Our sincere appreciation also goes to our officials, Emily Durand, Gabi Erni and Zeta van Wyk, for representing Namibia and supporting the successful running of the championships.
“Nasfed also extends its heartfelt thanks to our sponsors and partners for their continued support of Namibian aquatics and for helping create opportunities for our athletes to compete and perform on the regional stage.
“Finally, to the parents, families, friends, coaches and supporters who continue to stand behind our swimmers — thank you. Your encouragement, sacrifices and unwavering support are an important part of every athlete’s journey and every team’s success.
“This championship victory belongs not only to the swimmers, but to the entire Namibian swimming family.”
