Swim gala brings plenty of rewards

MIDDELBURG – This was an excellent platform for competitive and non-competitive swimmers to prove their talent.

They came from all over the province to take part in this gala.
The Glencore and Izimbiwa Coal floating trophies were awarded to the best multi-class swimmers.

The winners were chosen using the Fédération Internationale de Natation point system, which awards points to each swimmer according to the events that they participated in.

They competed in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and individual medley categories for all age groups, covering distances of 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1 500 metres.

Sixteen-year-old KG Mapedi of Estralita Special School in received a medal and a floating trophy for the best male disability swimmer of the day.

Naysi Strauss, who also swam for Estralita, was awarded a trophy for the best female disability swimmer. She also received the award for the best multi-class swimmer.
Giann Wessels (9) from Laerskool Lydenburg was awarded a trophy for the best junior swimmer in the age group four gala. He swam for Extreme Aquatics, a local swimming club.

The coach of Estralita Swimming School, Rianda Wessels said the disabled swimmers have the opportunity to be chosen for the provincial team that will compete at the South African Sports Association for the Intellectually

Impaired Games to be held in the middle of March in Kimberley.

“They need to qualify to swim in the open age group in order to make the team,” she added.

According to the chairman of the Nkangala District Swimming, Henk Groenewald, “The hosting of galas in the Nkangala region is part of the commitment towards swimming development and transformation in accordance with

Swimming South Africa and South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee regulations”.
The swimmers will attend the next age group six gala that will take place at Kees Taljaard Pool on Saturday March 2.