The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
SWIMMERS set to represent Zimbabwe at the 2017 African Swimming Confederation (CANA) Zone 4 Championships to be held in Bulawayo next month are set to be announced next week once selection is complete.
Zimbabwe will take advantage of being the host country and send more than double the number of swimmers who took part in last year’s event in Mauritius.
Zimbabwe Aquatic Union president, Mary Kloppers said following the Senior National Championships they were seized with team selection, adding the country would be sending two teams to the regional event.
The senior national championships were held in Harare at Les Brown Pool from 4 to 8 January.
“The selection process is a bit complicated but we should be announcing the swimmers that would make up the team by next week.
“We will have two teams, A and B, composed of 70 swimmers for the regional event,” she said.
Last year Zimbabwe sent 22 swimmers to the regional meet that involves countries from the Southern African region and include Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland Zambia, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe came third in last year’s championships taking nine gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze while the hosts came first with 38 gold, 26 silver and 31 bronze and Zambia were second after raking in 23 gold medals, 18 silver and 19 bronze.
Meanwhile Mashonaland Province continued its dominance in swimming when it clinched the Senior National Championships Trophy with a total of 3 012 points and Matabeleland come second with 1 663 while Mashonaland Country Districts amassed 141 points and Manicaland finished on 49 points.
Points are awarded on a sliding scale with the number one getting 10 points and number eight getting one point in the finals of a competition.
Mashonaland’s Paige van der Westhuizen (14)was the toast of championships so far dominating the 13-14 age group making a clean sweep in all the competitions, clinching gold in the 400m, 200m, 100m, 50m freestyle, 200m, 50m backstroke, 100m, 50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly 200m and 400m individual medley while her compatriot Hannah Mitchell (14) took second place in the 400m, 200, 100m freestyle, 100m, 50m breaststroke and 400m individual medley.
Matabeleland’s Maryke Koen (16) was one of the leading swimmers from Matabeleland as she topped six races (100m, 200m, 400m, 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley), in her age group while she came second to Nomvula Mjimba (15) in the 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke. She was also part of the relay team that won the 200m mixed medley relay and her teammates included Liam O’Hara and Savannah Preez (15).
In the 17 and over age group, the province also scooped several top three positions with Brendon Cyprianos (19) clinching the 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle, coming second in the 100m freestyle and third in the 100m butterfly and 50m breaststroke while Mmelwa Netsha (19) came first in 100m breaststroke and second in the 50m breaststroke which was won by Dale Bruce (17).
Mashonaland’s Chase Onorati, who put up a good showing at the AUSC Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games in Angola last month, took gold in the 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle.
In the 15-16 age group Matabeleland’s swimmers were dominant with O’Hara (16) and Denilson Cyprianos (15) achieving top three positions in most of the events.
O’Hara scooped the 400m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 50m backstroke and came second in the 100m freestyle, 100m, 50m freestyle and 200m backstroke while Denilson Cyprianos took gold in 200m freestyle, 100m and 200m backstroke while coming second in the 400m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 50m backstroke.
Quinton Tayali (16) took second spot in the 100m butterfly in the same age category with Roan Isemonger (16) coming second in the 200m freestyle and Jordan Smith was third in the 400m and 200m freestyle events.
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