The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
TEAM Zimbabwe maintained its lead in the CANA Zone IV Swimming Championships medal table after Day Two of the regional championships in Gaborone, Botswana with 37 medals.
Thirteen countries from Southern Africa are taking part at the ongoing championships being held at the University of Botswana Swimming Pool. By end of Day Two Zimbabwe had claimed 15 gold, 12 silver and 10 bronze medals and were followed by Namibia with 34 medals while Mozambique was third with 10 medals on the back of six gold medals.
Timea Schultz (14) clinched gold in the 50m backstroke touching the pad in 32.35 seconds ahead of compatriot Saira Ramajan (14) who finished the race in 33.11 seconds. In the 13-14 50m butterfly, Zimbabwe also had a top two finish with Vhenekai Dhemba (13) claiming gold in 30.53 seconds and Kiara Goodinson (14) was second in 31.31 seconds.
In the 4 x 100m freestyle relays, the Zimbabwean teams won three of the four gold medals, touching the pad in three minutes 38.99 for the men’s over 15 age category, while the ladies posted a Championships record of four minutes 09.62 seconds in the girls over 15. The girls under 14 also took gold in four minutes 19.76 seconds.
Zimbabwe also won gold in the under-14, 4 x 50m medley relay event in two minutes 11.80 ahead of South Africa (2:13.09) and Botswana (2:14.78) while the boys’ team in the same age group came third in two minutes 05.09 behind South Africa in (2:02.30) and Namibia (2:04.99).
In the girls Over 15 category 4 x 50m medley relay, Zimbabwe once again won gold in two minutes 07.07 with Botswana coming second (2:08.74) and South Africa took bronze (2:09.56).
Mikayla Makwabarara (11) took silver in the 50m butterfly in a time of 32.00 seconds while girls captain, Nomvula Mjimba (17) won gold in the 50m butterfly gold in 30.27 seconds. Paige van der Westhuizen added to the gold tally coming in first in two minutes 10:53 in the 200m freestyle while boys captain, Denilson Cyprianos (17) won the 50m backstroke gold in 27.59 seconds and the 100m backstroke in one minute 00:30 seconds. Tichatonga Makaya (13) earned silver in the 50m backstroke (31.13 seconds) and 200m freestyle (two minutes 11.42) while claiming gold in the 50m butterfly in 27.50 seconds.
Zimbabwe was yesterday top with a total of 37 medals, followed by Namibia who had 34 medals and South Africa was third with 26 medals with the hosts following with 16 medals.
