Fourteen-year-old Roze van Wyk of Marlins Aquatic Club won nine events in the girls' 13-14 age category at the Bank Windhoek NASFED Long Course-Short Course Gala 1, held last Friday and Saturday in Windhoek, Swakopmund and Oranjemund.
The opening gala of the 2026 season, staged simultaneously across three coastal and inland venues, gave swimmers of all ages a first competitive benchmark. Van Wyk, who has already represented Namibia at the 2025 Africa Aquatics Zone IV Championship in Eswatini and was named junior victrix ludorum at the 2026 national short course championship, posted 29.98 seconds in the 50m freestyle, 2:36.96 in the 200m individual medley, 2:46.98 in the 200m backstroke and 5:01.62 in the 400m freestyle,
Windhoek hosted a long-course gala, while Swakopmund and Oranjemund held short-course competitions. The format allowed clubs to compare times across distances and strokes at the very start of the campaign.
Windhoek: Van Wyk and Dolphins dominate
Vitoria De Sousa of Dolphins Swimming Club won six events in the girls' 15-16 category, including 28.48 seconds in the 50m freestyle, 4:49.25 in the 400m freestyle and 5:31.16 in the 400m individual medley. Her clubmate Patrick Durand matched that tally in the boys' 12-and-under category, with 4:54.31 in the 400m freestyle, 5:21.95 in the 400m individual medley and 2:36.61 in the 200m backstroke.
Jordan Wolhuter, also of Dolphins, took six wins in the boys' 10-and-under category: 35.10 seconds in the 50m freestyle, 40.26 in the 50m backstroke and 44.87 in the 50m breaststroke. Mika Fourie and Aaliyah Losper each recorded five wins in the girls' 12-and-under category, while Marlins' Tristan Nell secured five wins in the boys' 17-18 category.
Swakopmund: Flippers swimmers set the pace
Liam van Niekerk of Flippers Swimming Club won five events in the boys' 10-and-under category, including 35.86 seconds in the 50m freestyle, 40.66 in the 50m backstroke and 47.66 in the 50m breaststroke. His clubmate Christian van der Westhuizen secured four wins in the boys' 15-16 category, with 24.73 seconds in the 50m freestyle and 54.81 in the 100m freestyle.
Daneé Mostert, competing in the girls' 13-14 category for Flippers, recorded three wins: 29.26 seconds in the 50m freestyle, 33.81 in the 50m backstroke and 35.87 in the 50m breaststroke.
Oranjemund: Sand Sharks show depth
Swimmers from Oranjemund Sand Sharks produced encouraging results at the southern venue. Aryn Feris won two events in the girls' 12-and-under category, completing the 400m freestyle in 6:01.95 and the 200m backstroke in 3:20.96. Asser Eskon and Caleb Jeftha each recorded two wins in the boys' 15-16 category; Eskon posted 30.29 seconds in the 50m freestyle and 1:35.65 in the 100m butterfly, while Jeftha completed the 50m freestyle in 34.26 seconds. JC Ashipala added two wins, including 7:08.25 in the boys' 12-and-under 400m individual medley.
Weather and absentees tested the field
Bernadette Freyer-Swartz, NASFED's public relations officer, said the regional galas gave swimmers of various ages and ability levels a chance to compete, assess their progress and gain race experience as the season began. In Windhoek, swimmers faced exceptionally hot weather, and some senior athletes were unavailable because of international tours, examinations or recovery after a demanding competition schedule, she added.