Hilma Nalupe

Namibia’s junior swimmers made history at the Junior World Aquatic Swimming Championships in Otopeni, Romania, breaking an impressive 15 national records and delivering a week of performances that firmly placed the nation’s rising talent on the global stage.

Leading the charge was Oliver Durand, who accounted for seven of the new marks across freestyle, individual medley, and breaststroke events. 

His standout swim came in the 400m Individual Medley, where he finished 12th overall and rewrote both the Namibian Open and Age Group records.

There were also breakthrough moments for his teammates. Jessica Humphrey set new Open and Age Group records in the 100m Backstroke, while Lorenzo Esterhuizen and Madison Bergh each added Age Group milestones in backstroke and distance freestyle, respectively. 

Sprint specialists Roselinda Matyayi and Luke Beukes etched their names into the record books with new benchmarks in the 50m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle.

Team Namibia also excelled in the relays, with the women’s 4×100m Freestyle Relay squad (Bergh, Humphrey, Matyayi, Naukosho) setting a new Age Group record in 4:08.62. A strong sign of depth and teamwork among the junior swimmers.

In total, Namibia’s 15 records came from a mix of individual brilliance and collective effort:

Oliver Durand: 400m Free (Open + 17–18), 200m IM (Open + 17–18 Age Group), 200m Free (17–18), 200m Breaststroke (17–18), 400m IM (Open + 17–18 Age Group)

Lorenzo Esterhuizen: 100m Backstroke (15–16 Age Group)

Jessica Humphrey: 100m Backstroke (Open + 17–18 Age Group, relay lead-off)

Madison Bergh: 800m Freestyle (15–16 Age Group)

Roselinda Matyayi: 50m Butterfly (13–14 Age Group)

Luke Beukes: 50m Freestyle (17–18 Age Group)

Women’s 4×100m Freestyle Relay (17–18 Age Group)

The record-breaking haul reflects not only the growing strength of Namibian swimming but also the promise of a new generation ready to challenge internationally. With personal bests, top-30 world rankings, and 15 new national standards, team Namibia has announced itself as a force to watch. 

-hilmanalupe@gmail.com