Erasmus Shalihaxwe
A group of 15 young swimmers, aged between 14 and 19, are finding it tough at the ongoing SANJ 2025 swimming competition in Cape Town, South Africa, as they are yet to win a medal.
Team Manager Zeta Van Wyk said on day two of the competition, the team was divided into boys’ and girls’ groups, with all swimmers progressing to the next round in their respective categories.
One of the standout performers was Rodney Feris, who made it to the finals in the boys’ 14-year age group 100 meters. He finished 10th with a time of 1:06.41, a personal best.
In the 200-meter butterfly event, four Namibian swimmers reached the finals. In the 15-16 age group, Kayleb Benade finished 12th with a time of 2:20.6, while Naab Jiao finished 15th with a time of 2:21.72.
In the 17-19 men’s group, Michael Bauernschmitt finished 9th with a personal best time of 2:20.60. In the 15-16 girls’ category, Mikayla Geyser placed 6th with a time of 2:43.48.
Van Wyk said that in the 50-meter breaststroke for the 12 and under boys’ category, Namibia had two finalists.
Oelof Badenhorst finished 9th with a personal best time of 37.73.
In the girls’ 12 and under category, Roze van Wyk finished 5th with a time of 38.30, also a personal best.
“In the 200 Free, we had one swimmer who qualified for the finals. Very tough competition here in Cape Town, but nonetheless, our swimmers are using Cape Town’s altitude to their advantage and setting some great personal best times,” Van Wyk said.
