Hilma Nalupe

The 2025 Bank Windhoek NASFED National Open Short Course Championship started with a bang at The Cube in Swakopmund on Wednesday, as swimmers wasted no time making history in the pool.

On the opening afternoon alone, eight Namibian short course records were broken, setting the stage for what promises to be five days of fast racing and exciting rivalries.

The event, which started on the 24th and ends on the 28th of September, has drawn swimmers from across Namibia along with visiting teams from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

Seven Namibian clubs are represented: Aqua, Dolphins, Flippers, Infinity, Marlins, Oranjemund Sand Sharks and Swakopmund Swimming Club.

The atmosphere inside The Cube was electric as athletes pushed themselves to the limit, teammates rallied behind one another and records tumbled one after the other.

The opening day showed just how much Namibian swimming has grown, with young talent stepping up and established names raising the bar even higher. 

Spectators now look forward to four more days of action as the competition builds and more swimmers chase personal bests, podium finishes, and possible new records. -hilmanalupe@gmail.com

Day 1 results: new national records:

Madison Bergh (15 – 16), 1500m Freestyle – 17:30.36 (Open & NAM-SC record)

Ainoa Naukosho (13 – 14), 1500m Freestyle – 18:08.69 (age group record)

Patrick Durand (12 & under), 1500m Freestyle – 18:30.84 (age group record)

Girls 15 – 16, 200m IM Relay – 2:07.66 (Madison Bergh, Rosalinda Matyayi, Gizelle Slinger, Candice Rey)

Girls 9 – 10, 200m Freestyle Relay – 2:20.93 (Liya Williams, Yilin Guo, Christi de Kock, Joelle Oudshoorn)

Girls 13 – 14, 200m Freestyle Relay – 1:57.78 (Vitoria de Sousa, Emma Brinkmann, Scarlett McNamara, Ainoa Naukosho)

Girls 15 – 16, 200m Freestyle Relay – 1:55.84 (Rosalinda Matyayi, Gizelle Slinger, Candice Rey, Madison Bergh)

Boys 17 – 18, 200m Freestyle Relay – 1:33.59 (Rodney Feris, Lorenzo Esterhuizen, Nathan Bock, Luke Beukes)