National swimming team coach Jean-Michael Leitner says the swimmers for the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games have earned their places through hard work, consistency and results.
He says the swimmers have repeatedly shown they can compete against strong international teams and continue to improve.
“They are not going to the games just to make up the numbers. They are there because they have proven they belong on that stage.”
He says: “Swimming is highly competitive and nothing is guaranteed, but our athletes have prepared well. They have worked incredibly hard and they have earned the opportunity to compete with the best.
“If they put together the races they are capable of, I believe they can challenge for finals and give themselves a chance to fight for medals.”
Namibia has produced several outstanding swimmers who have represented the country at the Commonwealth Games over the years, Leitner says.
“Our swimmers have consistently met the qualifying standards set for selection. Their trial performances have shown that they deserved their places on the team, and we have continued to see improvement in training.”
He says while qualifying is important, the team’s focus is on reaching personal best times.
“Some of our swimmers have been to the South African senior championships, as well as the junior and senior African Aquatics Swimming Championships in Oran, Algeria, and Ronan Wantenaar recently competed at the French National Open Championships, where we did really well.”
Apart from that, Leitner says the swimmers have taken part in local swimming competitions preparing them for the senior Commonwealth Games.
“We only have four boys, which are Luke Beukes, Oliver Durand, Jose Canjulo and Ronan Wantenaar. And if you look at what the world’s best teams do in terms of relays, it’s always a certain order, and our boys have been placed in that order due to that fact.”
The coach says a sport psychologist worked with the team for the camp.
“And every swimmer has their own biokinetics or physio they go to for their strength and conditioning exercises. And the rest is done by the various coaches.”
On acclimatisation, Leitner says the team did not have any specialised training camps apart from one at Swakopmund.
“Each coach who has athletes on the team works with them directly. And then, when we have camps like the one we had now at Swakopmund, the coach that has been selected for the competition runs that camp with the visiting and local coaches,” he says.
Leitner says the athletes have access to a physiotherapist before and during the games, and injury prevention is built into their daily routine through recovery sessions, mobility work and careful monitoring of training loads.
“We also guide the athletes on nutrition, hydration and recovery to help them stay healthy and strong.”
The Commonwealth swimmers are Jessica Humphrey, Luke Beukes, José Canjulo, Oliver Durand and Ronan Wantenaar.
