WINDHOEK - This past weekend Bank Windhoek concluded its Long Course Gala for the year at the Western Suburbs municipal swimming pool in Windhoek.
Hosted by Dolphins swimming club, the swimming competition between clubs or groups of swimmers, especially the youth, saw contestants from Aqua Swimming Club, Dolphins Swimming Club, Marlins Aquatic Club and Phoenix Swimming Academy, compete in 839 events.
Swakopmund and Oranjemund held their Bank Windhoek Long Course Gala in their respective towns and results from all three events were combined in the end to determine the final outcomes.
The Namibia Swimming Union (NSU) executive committee member, Nicky McNamara, said: “Windhoek had 127, while Swakopmund and Oranjemund recorded 17 and 23 swimmers respectively, who battled it out for top honours over the two-day event. We also saw five records broken – four of these were in the 25 years and over category.”
“Despite the tiredness due to a tough season and exams taking place, swimmers were fully focused on the task at hand as they gave it their all throughout the events. We wish all our swimmers and their families a very well rested festive season. Thank you Bank Windhoek for making the 2019 season a remarkable one,” concluded McNamara. The Long Course Gala will resume at the end of January in 2020.
Below is the full list of individual records:
Women 25 years and
over 200 metres Breast
Dolphins’ Lena Brinkmann set a new record in this event in 3:37.16 seconds, which overtook Sunel Badenhorst’s 3:41.88 record achieved at the Confédération Africaine de Natation’s (CANA) Zone IV record set earlier this year.
Women 25 years and over 400 metres Individual Medley
Dolphins’ Sunel Badenhorst broke her own 7:28.95 record she set in 2018. The new record now stands at 7:24.72.
Men 13 to 14 years 50-metre Breaststroke
Marlins Aquatic Club’s Jose Canjulo broke his 31.78 record that was set at the South African Junior Championships in 30.91 seconds.
Men 25 years and over 400=metre Freestyle
Dolphins’ Jan Louis Mostert surpassed Marlin’s Wynand Dreyer’s 5:57.86 record in 5:41.86.
Men 25 years and over
100 metre Backstroke
Dolphins’ Adriaan Maritz registered a new record in 1:19.76. The previous holder was Dentie Louw’s CANA Zone IV record which stood at 1:20.44.