22 Feb 2024

Swimmers from Botswana and neighbouring countries will battle it out in the water in search for Olympic qualifying times.

The 18^th Botswana National Swimming Championships started on Thursday and will end on Sunday.

The championships never disappoint as over the years they have provided a platform for swimmers to clock their personal best times. In this edition, a lot of splashes are expected as a lot will be at stake. Botswana Swimming Sports Association’s spokesperson Gwendolyn Harry said in an interview that there were a total of nine local clubs and one club from Zimbabwe, giving a field of 308 swimmers registered for the gala.

She said they had three elite swimmers who would take part in the competition, Andile Bekker, Ruvarashe Gondo and Naya Huges.  “We therefore had to make sure that we have everything in place properly from the preparation and we brought in two referees from eSwatini just to oversee that we are in the right track as our aim is to have swimmers qualifying,” she said.

Harry said they were looking forward to good races given that swimmers had been preparing themselves for the big day in Botswana Swimming Sports Association calendar. “The swimming pool is ready, the conditions are favourable and what is left is for the swimmers to execute what they had been practising,” she said.

Meanwhile, Harry disclosed that four swimmers that would represent Botswana at the coming African Games to be held in Accra, Ghana are Maxine Egner, Andile Bekker, Adrian Robinson and , Kyra Harry. ENDS