Namibian National Long Course Swimming Championships 2026

Between 18–22 February, our WIS swimmers took to the pool at the Namibian Long Course National Championships, a gruelling five-day competition featuring morning preliminaries and evening finals. Long course racing demands both physical endurance and mental resilience, and our students rose to the challenge in extraordinary fashion.

Collectively, WIS swimmers brought home an incredible 58 medals, a phenomenal achievement that reflects not only talent, but countless early mornings, long training sessions, and unwavering commitment to excellence.

We are proud to celebrate the following outstanding performances:

• Dani McNamara – 3 Silver medals

• Jade McNamara – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

• Patrick Du Rand – an exceptional 13 Individual Gold medals and 4 Gold relay medals, finishing 2nd overall for Junior Victor Ludorum. Patrick also broke the Namibian national records in both the 1500m and 800m Freestyle, an extraordinary accomplishment.

• Ben Brown – 7 Silver medals and 1 Bronze

• Elaina Del Ameida – 1 Silver and 1 Bronze

• Candice Rey – 8 Individual medals and a Namibian Relay Record alongside Gizelle Slinger

• Gizelle Slinger – Gold in the 100m Butterfly, Silver in the 50m Butterfly, and part of the record-breaking relay team

• Scarlet McNamara – 3 Gold medals, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

• Zafari Zeidler – Silver in the 400m Individual Medley, plus 3 additional Silver medals in relays and breaststroke

• Suraya Ashikoto – 5 Individual medals and 4 Relay medals

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Behind every medal is discipline that often goes unseen, hours before and after school spent in the water, weekends dedicated to training, careful attention to nutrition and recovery, and the mental toughness required to compete at the highest level. Swimming is a sport that demands exceptional perseverance. These athletes train when others are resting; they push through fatigue; they learn to manage nerves and expectations. Their dedication is unmatched, and their resilience is inspiring.

A particularly remarkable achievement is that Patrick Du Rand, Ben Brown, Gizelle Slinger, Candice Rey and Suraya Ashikoto have all qualified to compete at the South African Junior Championships in March. Qualification for this prestigious event is extremely challenging, and we could not be more excited to see our swimmers represent both Namibia and WIS on this stage. We wish them every success as they travel to South Africa at the end of March.

As a school community, we are immensely proud of these athletes. It is a privilege to have such dedicated, humble and hardworking students representing WIS. Their achievements in the pool reflect not only sporting excellence, but character, determination, commitment, and the courage to strive for personal bests.

Congratulations to each and every swimmer on a truly remarkable championship. We celebrate you.