(At Luphohlo Dam)
SIPHOCOSINI – Eswatini ended the XXI Africa Aquatics Zone IV Swimming and Open Water Championships on a high note, winning three gold medals during the Open Water Championship.
The regional flagship event officially came to a close on Sunday, September 7, 2025 at Luphohlo Dam, which lies on the outskirts of Eswatini’s capital city, Mbabane, at Siphocosini.
The overall winner of the open water battle was the Republic of South Africa (RSA), followed by Angola, with the Swimming Championship kings, Namibia, taking third place.
Unlike the main competition, which ran for four days with 240 swimmers from 13 countries participating, the Open Water Championship had nine nations and 60 athletes vying for supremacy of the waves at Luphohlo Dam.
Simphiwe Dlamini became the first liSwati to win gold, triumphing in the men’s 19-years and over 3km event. He was the sole competitor in this race, where he clocked 1:00:37 hours to win his first Zone IV Championships’ medal.
“The competition went well, as I recorded PBs [personal best finish times] in all my events. Most importantly, I capped off the competition with a medal which makes me feel proud of myself because I have never won a medal in this competition. But on home soil, I was able,” Dlamini said, with a beaming face.
Another Eswatini swimmer who stole the show with gold was Tristan Way.
The 16-year-old was the champion of the men’s 16- to 18-years-old 1km race, which he finished in 17:36 minutes.
As if that were not enough, the kingdom’s reigning Junior Sportswoman of the Year, Hayley ‘Mshina’ Hoy, battled through the waves to take first place in the women’s 16- to 18-years-old 1km event. Unlike Dlamini and Way, who were uncontested in their events, Hoy beat Seychelles’ Dorianne Bristol and Nora Schlabitz to finish first, clocking 13:51 minutes.
This took Hoy’s overall medal count to seven, comprising three gold, two silver and two bronze.
“It’s really exciting to win gold medals, which makes me satisfied with my overall performance. I had just returned home from Pretoria [High-Performance Centre] three weeks before the competition and I was able to deliver, although it has been a long, hectic and tiresome week,” Hoy said.
On another note, Botswana has been awarded the hosting rights for 2026.
Leave a comment