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Top young swimmers off to Mauritius

From left to right: Joan Smit (NNOC), Riaan Steyn (Nasu), Lian Ellis, Jessica Humphrey, Nadia Jansen van Rensburg (coach), Ariana Naukosho, Robin Engelhard, Salome Rey, Nico Esslinger, Carissa Steyn, Brynn Kinnaird and Chalo Chainda (NSC). Photo: Hege Schütz

Nine of Namibia’s top young swimmers will represent the country at the Africa Junior Swimming Championships in Mauritius from today till Sunday. 

The swimmers received their national colours from Chalo Chainda of the Namibia Sport Commission at Bank Windhoek’s third long course gala over the weekend, while Joan Smit of the Namibia National Olympic Committee urged them to dream big. 

“There are a lot of events over the next few years, from the junior Commonwealth Games to the Junior Olympics, and then the next Olympics, so you must grab these opportunities,” she said. 

“You are the athletes who will qualify for these games, you are the role models for our youth,” she added.  

The team will be captained by Jose Canjulo, who won two gold medals at last year’s Africa Junior Swimming Championships and will lead Namibia’s hopes for medals. 

The other team members are Jessica Humphrey, Ariana Naukosho, Salome Rey, Carissa Steyn, Lian Ellis, Robin Engelhard, Nico Esslinger and Brynn Kinaird, while Nadia Jansen van Rensburg is the coach. 

At the same occasion Telecom Namibia handed over a sponsorship of towels and goggles for the swimers. 

One of the swimmers, Ariana Naukosho said she was well prepared and looking forward to the championships. 

“I’m very excited and I’m also quite anxious, because it’s a very big competition and I dont know what to expect. But my season has been looking really good, I’ve been training really hard, so I think I’ll make some PB’s and maybe a record, you never know,” she said. 

“I want to try and qualify for world champs and junior world champs, I want to see how far I can go in swimming, so I just want to keep on training. I think if I put in the effort and commitment I can also make the Olympics one day,” she added. 

Naukosho, meanwhile, has a younger sister to keep an eye on – the 12-year-old Ainoa Naukosho, who broke the only record at Gala 3 on Saturday. 

Competing in the girls 12-and-under 1 500m freestyle event, she set a new record of 19 minutes 56,70 seconds, to take nearly 25 seconds off Heleni Stergiadis’ previous record established nine years ago. 

The 16-year-old Ariana said she was very proud of her younger sister. 

“She’s really talented, she already broke one record at this gala and she was splits away from another record today, so I’m really proud of her and I’m sure one day she will make big teams like this and go to big competitions.”

Robin Engelhard of Dolphins, meanwhile, produced the best performance at Gala 3, in terms of international Fina points, obtaining 597 points for his time of 24,83 seconds in the boys 17-18 50m freestyle. 

Molina Smalley of Dolphins was just behind with 595 points for her time of 2:29,94 in the girls 19-and-over 200m individual medley, while Oliver Durand of Dolphins twice obtained 591 points in the boys 15-16 200m butterfly (2:11,46) and 1500m freestyle (17:17,76).

Jessica Humphrey of Aqua Swimming and Fitness Club obtained 587 points for her time of 1:08,61 in the girls 15-16 100m backstroke. 

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