The CANA Zone IV Swimming Championships came to a close in Botswana today and the Zimbabwean team topped the medal podium with a total of 85 medals, followed closely by Namibia with 63 medals, the host nation with 42 medals and Mozambique with 23 medals.
Namibia’s Oliver Durand (12) made his way to the top of the medal podium in the 200m individual medley in 2:34.43 ahead of team-mate Kgosana Hekandjo (12) in 2:41.54 and Mozambique’s Hugo Barradas (12) in 2:46.00, while also adding a bronze to his tally in the 100m freestyle in 1:04.31 behind Seychelles’ Alexander Payet (12) in 1:02.54 and Botswana’s Junior Keitsile (12) in 1:03.22.
In the 13-14 ladies’ 200m individual medley, it was Zimbabwe’s Timea Schultz (14) that won the gold medal in 2:38.22 followed by Botswana’s Kimberly Ingwe (14) in 2:40.90 and SA’s Kaeli-Peace Armour (13) in 2:41.61, while Schultz also won the silver in the 100m freestyle in 1:03.88 ahead of SA’s Emma Beyers (14) in 1:04.30 and behind team-mate Kiara Goodinson (14) in 1:02.84.
Mozambique’s Caio Lobo (14) finished off the four-day competition with another gold medal, this time in the 200m individual medley, clocking 2:23.80, over 6secs ahead of Angola’s Filipe Freitas (14) in 2:30.68 and SA’s Pierce Kotze (14) in 2:31.62, while the ladies’ U12 medley medals went to Namibia’s Ariana Naukosho (12) in 2:42.95, Eswatini’s Hayley Hoy (11) in 2:48.26 and Mauritius’ Alina Muslun (12) in 2:52.32.
Mauritius’ Ines Gebert (15) was victorious on two occasions, winning the gold in the 200m butterfly in 2:32.77 and the 200m individual medley in 2:30.11, with the silver and bronze in the butterfly going to SA’s Abigail Swanepoel (16) in 2:38.84 and Botswana’s Caitlin Loo (15) in 2:47.11, while the medley race saw Zimbabwe’s Paige van der Westhuizen (16) take the silver in 2:30.48 and Mauritius’ Alicia Kok Shun (15) the bronze in 2:34.82.
Van der Westhuizen also scooped a silver medal in the 100m freestyle in 1:00.82 behind Uganda’s Kirabo Namutebi (15) in 1:00.45 and ahead of Botswana’s Maxine Egner (15) in 1:00.98, while Zimbabwe’s Tichatonga Makaya (13) in 59.33, Zimbabwe’s Bjorn Mhlanga (13) in 59.38 and Namibia’s Quinn Ellis (13) in 59.43 topped the 100m freestyle 13-14 age group race.
Adding a further two gold medals to his tally was Mauritius’ Victor Ah Yong (15) in the 200m butterfly in 2:14.39 ahead of Namibia’s Mikah Burger (15) in 2:17.05 and Zambia’s Wina Mwamba (16) in 2:24.25 and the 200m individual medley in 2:16.64 followed by Botswana’s Andile Bekker (16) in 2:18.02 and SA’s Wietske vd Westhuizen (16) in 2:18.64.
Bekker went on to win another silver medal in the 100m freestyle in 55.14, while the 17-24 200m butterfly medals went to Namibia’s Corne le Roux (17) in 2:10.78, Madagascar’s Herinirina Rakotomavo (23) in 2:15.00 and Zimbabwe’s Quintin Tayali (18) in 2:19.35.
Namibia’s Heleni Stergiadis (17) celebrated two gold medals during the final day of competition, clocking 2:28.48 in the 200m butterfly ahead of Botswana’s Leone van Rooyen (17) in 2:57.23 and Uganda’s Avice Meya (25) in 3:27.75 and 2:28.76 in the 200m individual medley followed by team-mate Vicky Botha (18) in 2:43.34 and Zimbabwe’s Nomvula Mjimba (17) in 2:47.16.
Mjimba went one better in the 100m freestyle, winning the silver in 1:02.74 behind Zimbabwe’s Courtney Brown (17) in 1:02.50 and ahead of Madagascar’s Holy Rabejaona (17) in 1:04.04, while the U12 freestyle medal podium comprised of Seychelles’ Isabelle Labuschagne (12) in 1:05.92, Namibia’s Michaela Ohm (12) in 1:05.78 and Zimbabwe’s Mikayla Makwabarara (11) in 1:08.04.
Botswana’s James Freeman bagged the gold in the 100m freestyle in 53.35 and the 200m individual medley in 2:15.74, while Malawi’s Filipe Gomes won the silver in the medley and the bronze in the freestyle in 2:15.92 and 53.86, respectively.
In the U14 ladies’ 200m butterfly, the gold, silver and bronze were claimed by Zimbabwe’s Mkhuseli Mahobele (14) in 2:41.53, Zimbabwe’s Vhenekai Dhemba (13) in 2:46.84 and Botswana’s Mutinda Mutie (14) in 2:47.26, while on the men’s side, the medals went to Mozambique’s Kaio Faftine (13) in 2:37.88, Mauritius’ Shawn Li Hing Duen (13) in 2:37.88 and Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chisungo (14) in 2:43.23
In the 4 x 50m freestyle relays, the Zimbabwean team won all four gold medals in 1:38.62 for the men’s Over 15, 1:59.73 for the ladies’ U14, 1:52.87 for the ladies’ Over 15 and 1:49.12 for the men’s U14.
In the Masters section of the competition, Botswana topped the medal table with a total of 65 medals (30 gold, 21 silver and 14 bronze) with the final day gold additions coming from Lawrence Gachala (49) in 3:57.30 in the 200m butterfly and 3:49.72 in the 200m individual medley, Bontsi Morewane (37) in 1:33.93 in the 100m freestyle, Alma Saat (46) in 1:16.41 in the 100m freestyle, Tatenda Mgorosha (26) in 1:04.49 in the 100m freestyle and 3:05.21 in the 200m individual medley and Owen Caple (49) in 1:04.70 in the 100m freestyle.
Malawi’s Sharon Melrose (58) won the gold in the 200m butterfly, clocking 3:55.64 while Zambia’s Tonia Weltin (49) claimed the top spot in the 200m individual medley in 3:27.88.
Final Medal rankings:
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Zimbabwe | 34 | 31 | 20 | 85 |
| Namibia | 28 | 15 | 20 | 63 |
| Botswana | 11 | 19 | 12 | 42 |
| Mozambique | 12 | 5 | 6 | 23 |
| Mauritius | 11 | 6 | 9 | 26 |
| Seychelles | 9 | 9 | 11 | 29 |
| South Africa | 7 | 18 | 24 | 49 |
| Zambia | 4 | 6 | 8 | 18 |
| Malawi | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Angola | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Uganda | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Madagascar | 1 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| Eswatini | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Final Masters Medal rankings:
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Botswana | 30 | 21 | 14 | 65 |
| Zambia | 13 | 8 | 2 | 23 |
| Namibia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Mozambique | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Malawi | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Madagascar | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| Uganda | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| South Africa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
