NASFED sends off juniors to Mauritius
Swimming
Nine swimmers will represent Namibia on the continental stage in Mauritius later this week.
The Namibia Aquatic Sports Federation (NASFED) awarded nine swimmers national colours and sent them off to compete in Mauritius this week. The swimmers will compete in the 15th Africa Junior Swimming and Open Water Championships, starting on Wednesday until Sunday 10 December.
The send-off took place during the third Bank Windhoek Long Course Gala at Olympia municipal swimming pool on Saturday.
Addressing the young swimmers who took part in the gala, Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) secretary-general, Joan Smit, encouraged them to be confident when competing and to set a great example to the younger swimmers.
“Don’t look at anyone else and think they are better than you. You are Namibia’s best, so go and show them and enjoy every moment of the competition,” said Smith.
While handing over Telecom’s sponsorship of towels and goggles to the swimmers, Telecom representative Ndapewa Neshila said the company has chosen to champion the swimmers in this competition.
“We believe in nurturing and supporting local talent as they have showcased their potential. We are privileged to be part of their journey towards greatness by sponsoring towels and goggles to ease the financial burden associated with participating in such a prestigious event,” she said.
Neshiala said the company has faith in the abilities of the young swimmers and eagerly anticipate impressive performance from them.
José Canjulo, a proven competitor who has been named team captain for the first time, encouraged his team mates to make the best of all the hard work they put into their preparation and to put their names “among the best of the best”.
Another of the selected swimmers for the trip, Nico Esslinger, has been swimming since he was four years old and says he still enjoys it. “Our preparation for Mauritius has been intense, with many training hours to perfect our skills.”
The 17-year-old encouraged other swimmers to continue swimming and never give up on what they are passionate about.
The selected swimmers to represent Namibia in Mauritius are José Canjulo (team captain), Jessica Humphrey, Ariana Naukosho, Salomé Rey, Carissa Steyn, Lian Ellis, Robin Engelhardt, Brynne Kinnaird and Nico Esslinger.
Four of them – Humphrey, Steyn, Esslinger and Kinnaird – will also compete in the open water swimming competition.
They will be accompanied by two coaches, Nadia Jansen van Rensburg and Dentie Louw.