NAMIBIA’s top swimmers excelled at the South African Junior National Championships which took place in Durban last week.
The Namibian team of 12 swimmers won a total of 20 medals (five gold, nine silver, six bronze) while they also established 16 new Namibian records.
The Namibian team came tenth overall out of 126 participating clubs from South Africa as well as neighbouring countries like Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Jose Canjulo won four gold and five silver medals in the boys 13-14 age group category, while he also established four new Namibian records.
He won gold in the 400m freestyle in a new Namibian record time of 4:19,73, while he won gold in the 200m backstroke in another Namibian record time of 2:14,74. He won a further two gold medals in the 50m freestyle with a time of 25,73 seconds and the 100m butterfly in 1:00,85.
He won silver medals in the 100m backstroke (1:03,18), the 50m breaststroke (31,78), 400m individual medley (4:54,35), 50m butterfly (27,73) and 200m individual medley (2:14,67).
Also competing in the boys 13-14 year age group, Mikah Burger won one gold, three silver and two bronze medals, while he established four new Namibian records.
He won gold in the 100m butterfly in a new Namibian record time of 1:00,11, while he won silver in the 50m backstroke in 28,82 seconds and 200m individual medley in 2:16,72, with the latter two also being new Namibian records.
He also won silver in the 200m butterfly in 2:17,01, and two bronze medals in the 100m backstroke (1:03,12) and 50m butterfly (27,77).
Burger’s fourth Namibian record came in the 400m individual medley where he came fourth in 4:59,95.
Ronan Wantenaar won one silver and four bronze medals in the Boys 17-18 year category, while he also broke six Namibian records.
He won silver in the 50m backstroke in 27,03 seconds which broke both the boys 17-18 year and Open records.
He won bronze in the 200m individual medley in 2:08,04 and the 200m breaststroke in 2:21,85, with both these times also being double records.
Wantenaar won a further two bronze medals in the 50m breaststroke in 29,52 and the 100m breaststroke in 1:05,23.
Martin Oosthuizen set a new Namibian record in the boys 15-16 year 400m individual medley in a time of 4:55,26.
Namibia’s other swimmers all performed well with all 12 swimmers qualifying for finals, and some missing bronze medals by split seconds.
In the girls 16 year category, Heleni Stergiadis reached the finals of all her events and narrowly missed out on bronze medals in the 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly events.
Competing in the boys 12 and under age group, first-time qualifier Quinn Ellis reached seven finals and narrowly missed out on bronze in the 50m freestyle.
Corne le Roux (16) and Tiana Esslinger (15) also qualified for the Fina Junior World Championships, with Le Roux setting a time of 2:00,83 in the 200m freestyle and Esslinger a personal best time of 2:25,93 in the 200m backstroke.
The final gala of the Namibian long course season as well as the Aqua pentathlon will be held at the Olympia Swimming Pool on 5 and 6 April.
