Hesron Kapanga
Namibia’s 15-year-old swimmer, Keila de Oliveira, will take valuable lessons from her debut appearance at the 2025 Toyota World Para Swimming Championships, which concluded in Singapore on Saturday.
The championships, hosted by the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), took place at the OCBC Aquatic Centre from 21 to 27 September 2025. The event marked a historic first for Asia as host of the global para swimming competition.
Although De Oliveira was scheduled to compete in the S9 50-metre freestyle heat, she missed the race after arriving late to the call room. Her coach, Diego Kahlari, who remained in Namibia to oversee a swimming gala in Swakopmund, told Nampa that the setback serves as an important learning curve for both the young athlete and the technical team.
“As Keila’s coach, I would describe her as an incredibly determined and resilient young athlete. Over the past year, she has grown remarkably in both skill and mindset,” Kahlari said.
According to the coach, De Oliveira forgot her accreditation card in her bag during warm-ups. When asked by officials to retrieve it, she returned minutes late, by which time a new set of officials had already ushered athletes to the starting line. As a result, she was barred from competing.
“Unfortunately, I could not accompany her, as I was attending another competition, and the coach who travelled with her was not fully familiar with the call-room procedures. But this is a learning curve for all of us,” Kahlari added.
Despite the disappointment, Kahlari praised De Oliveira’s commitment to the sport.
“Technically, she has improved tremendously in her strokes, turns, and endurance. She has also become much more confident in her pacing and race strategies. Beyond technique, her greatest growth has been mental; she has learnt to embrace challenges, remain focused despite obstacles, and push through fatigue with maturity beyond her years,” he said.
Kahlari further stated that De Oliveira is a role model to her peers, saying her dedicated and positive attitude inspire other young swimmers, showing that hard work and discipline are as important as talent.
“I am very proud of her progress, and I am committed to guiding her journey step by step, both as an athlete and as a person,” Kahlari said.
-Nampa