Africa-Press – Namibia. The Bank Windhoek Namibia Swimming Federation (Nasfed) National Open Short Course Championships concluded in style with several record-breaking performances after five days of elite-level competition at The Cube at Swakopmund.
This year’s event welcomed 226 athletes from seven Namibian clubs and three guest teams from South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, who competed across 2 245 event entries – a new record.
The competition intensified, as eight national records fell on day one alone. The trend continued through the week, as Namibia’s rising stars stunned the crowd with performances that rewrote the national record books.
Oliver Durand smashed national age group and open records in the 100m individual medley (55.92), 100m butterfly (53.31), and 200m freestyle (1:47.74) in the 17- to 18-year-old category.
Luke Beukes broke the 17- to 18-year-old category records in the 100m freestyle (49.26), 50m butterfly (24.70), and 50m freestyle (22.39).
Madison Bergh set new national records in the 1 500m freestyle (17:30.36) and 800m freestyle (9:16.71), along with a powerful swim in the 200m freestyle (2:07.82).
Vitoria de Sousa dominated in the 13- to 14-year-old age group with record-breaking performances in the 400m freestyle (4:30.18) and 200m IM (2:22.86).
Patrick Durand (12 years and under) delivered age group records in the 1 500m and 800m freestyle events.
In the masters category, Ruth Hornickel and Dentie Louw set new Nasfed Masters records, proving that swimming excellence spans generations.
De Sousa was a clear winner of the junior victrix ludorum trophty with a total of 208 points, while Roze van Wyk came second with 159 points and Ainoa Naukosho third with 138 points.
The spotlight shifted to the junior victor ludorum contenders as the cheers echoed. Riley Bergh gave it his all, finishing with 130 points. Jeremy Musati pushed ahead to 154 points, but Patrick Durand claimed the top spot with 218 points.
In the senior men’s division, the competition intensified. Luke Beukes swam with determination, earning 4 099 points. Josè Canjulo edged ahead with 4 171 points, but Oliver Durand emerged victorious, setting a new standard with 4 422 points. The ludorum awards ceremony was a celebration of the best of the best.
The senior victrix ludorum category was also fiercely contested. Rosalinda Matyayi stunned the crowd with 3 500 points, only to be outdone by De Sousa with 3 667 points. Yet, the ultimate champion was Bergh, who soared to 3 843 points.
The girls’ 15- to 16-year-old category 200m IM relay team, Bergh, Matyayi, Gizelle Slinger, and Candice Rey, set a remarkable time of 2:07.66.
The boys’ 17- to 18-year-old team, Rodney Feris, Lorenzo Esterhuizen, Nathan Bock and Beukes blazed through the water in 1:33.59.
Other relay teams made their mark as well. The girls’ 15- to 16-year-old category team finished in 1:55.84, the girls’ 13- to 14-year-old category team in 1:57.78, and the youngest competitors, the girls’ 9- to 10-year-old team, completed their relay in 2:20.93.
Five relay teams set new short course national records in the 200m freestyle relay, making this event a valid showcase of talent, teamwork, and record-breaking achievement.
KING’S BATON RELAY
The event featured a historic moment with the King’s Baton Ceremony, as Namibian cycling legend Dan Craven passed the baton to Namasiku van der Linden, who handed it on to Ulrike Leitner, Van Wyk, Canjulo, and Maja Brinkmann.
This marks the first time that each Commonwealth nation and territory receives its own uniquely decorated baton ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Games, reflecting the identity and culture of its people.
Nasfed spokesperson Carol-Anne Esterhuizen has expressed the federation’s deepest gratitude to Bank Windhoek for its continued investment in Namibian swimming.
This year, Namibia’s swimmers continued to shine internationally with standout performances at the Junior Africa Championships (Egypt), the World Junior Championships (Romania), the World Championships (Singapore), Independence Games (Angola), and the African School Games (Algeria).
Besides that, Namibia also retained its title as Africa Aquatics Zone IV champions for the third consecutive year.
“As the final races ended and the cheers subsided, the 2025 Bank Windhoek Nasfed Short Course Championship closed as a powerful statement of Namibia’s swimming excellence and the promise of even greater things,” Esterhuizen says.
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