By Staff Reporter
Windhoek, March. 2 — Namibia is poised to make a mark at the Paris Paralympic Games in 2024, with four differently-abled swimmers making history by participating in the Bank Windhoek Long Course National Swimming Championships held recently in Windhoek. Mateus Angula, Caitlin Botha, Jerome Rooi, and Namasiku van der Linden all took part in the event, breaking personal best (PB) times and inspiring other swimmers and supporters with their determination and skill.
Para Swimming is the sports term for swimmers with a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment, and the first step towards becoming a para swimmer is to join a swimming club. Once able to swim and race, the next step is for the swimmers to obtain an official para classification, which is done outside of Africa and requires substantial financial resources.
Despite these challenges, the four para swimmers impressed at the championships, with Angula breaking his PB by 1.00 seconds for the 100-meter freestyle and 2.48 seconds for the 50-meter backstroke. Nicknamed Spiderman due to his super agility, Angula is a wheelchair user who was born without legs and has already represented Namibia at various regional and international para-swimming events.
Botha, who has Cerebral Palsy, managed to knock off 1.01 seconds in the 100-meter breaststroke, despite the cold water causing muscle spasms, making swimming harder for her. Rooi, who lost his left leg in 2017, improved his PBs for the 50-meter freestyle and the 50-meter backstroke, knocking off 16.72 and 10.35 seconds, respectively. Van der Linden, who was born with Down Syndrome and experiences intellectual developmental delays and physical challenges, improved her times for six out of nine events, achieving a PB of 4:34.46 seconds in the 200-metre Individual Medley (IM).
The swimmers said they prepared well and enjoyed the Bank Windhoek Long Course National Swimming Championships, which they used as preparations for international competitions. They thanked Bank Windhoek, their coaches, and everyone for allowing them to swim and encouraged other swimmers and the youth to have faith and be strong in everything they do.
Jean-Paul Schmidt, the Namibia National Paralympic Committee’s Treasurer, emphasized that with the proper financial backing and more sporting platforms, the athletes can go far and compete in the Paris Paralympic Games in 2024. Hosted by the Namibia Swimming Federation (NASFED), the Bank Windhoek Long Course National Swimming Championships saw 184 athletes from six clubs and the International Paralympic Committee participating in 1628 entries with 17 individual and five relay events. It was sanctioned by World Para Swimming and supported by the Namibia National Paralympic Committee (NNPC).
In conclusion, the achievements of Namibia’s para swimmers at the Bank Windhoek Long Course National Swimming Championships are truly inspiring and demonstrate the potential of differently-abled athletes to excel in sports. With the right support and resources, Namibia’s para swimmers have a bright future and could make the country proud at the Paris Paralympic Games in 2024.
