Young swimmers showcased exceptional talent and exciting competitive spirit during the inter-high swimming gala hosted at the Springs Boys’ High School.

The participating schools included Springs Girls and Boys, Woodland College, Veritas College, Alberton High School and Ridgewood College. The swimmers competed in various categories, including butterfly, breast, relay and freestyle.

One of the learners, Keira Martins, who is a Veritas College learner, dominated the pool with a number of first-place finishes. Keira explained that she previously swam competitively for the Eastern Gauteng Aquatics and has made significant progress since she first started.

“I went from barely even knowing what was going on to almost making the SA Championships,” she said.

Keira has already qualified for the SA Youth Championships, but she will only be able to compete next year when she turns 17.

“I’m currently level three, and I’ve gone from not being able to swim butterfly to being really good in my age group,” she said.

Despite the demanding training schedule, she adds that the support from her support system keeps her motivated.

“My biggest supporters are my coach, friends and family. Every day you have to train for about an hour, and it takes a lot of preparation and commitment, but the results are showing, so it’s totally worth it,” she said.

Her coach, Bruce Carr, praised his swimmers for their performances, highlighting Keira’s strength in the butterfly and breaststroke events, as well as the efforts of the junior swimmers.

Springs Boys learner Alessandro Gomes was among the standout swimmers, finishing in first place in the open breaststroke event.

“It felt amazing to get first place. I believe I performed the best in the relay and breaststroke. I’ll have to improve on my diving, but overall I think I did pretty well,” he said.

Alessandro added that he looks forward to getting full colours for swimming and reaching his potential in swimming and academics. The master in charge of swimming at the hosting school, Elize Rootman, explained that the participants were competing in hopes of qualifying for the provincial championships.

She also reflected on the team’s preparation for the event.

“We had a special clinic where we brought someone in to help with our strokes and to make sure the boys are kicking the right way,” she said.

“This is our last gala for term one, but we will continue practising throughout the year as we work towards producing better times,” she said.

Rootman also praised the matric swimmers for their dedication, noting that they have managed to balance the pressures of their academic workload while remaining committed to swimming.