Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
HARARE Amateur Swimming Senior Championships reigning champions Spartans are aiming to retain the title when they participate at this year’s edition.
The annual competition, held over two weekends, comes to life this Friday at Les Brown Swimming Pool.
The first phase of the championships runs from Friday to Sunday.
The meet concludes on the weekend of December 5 to 7.
It will see swimmers from Spartans, Vikings, Wild Orcas, Dorado, Sharks, Pirates, Harare Otters and Highlands converging at Les Brown Pool. Spartans coach Lindsy Tudor-Cole says they have been working on preparing their swimmers for the competition and are hoping to field more than 50 swimmers.
“We are definitely participating, and we have been working really hard for it. I think we are definitely going to be taking around 55 swimmers.
“I think we are ready for the championships. We hope to do really well. Our kids have been training very hard,” said Tudor-Cole.
The club held their awards — the Spartans Swim Star Awards — on Saturday and the event was a boost for the swimmers going into the upcoming competition.
The awards recognise the hard work invested by the young swimmers.
Besides the championship title, the provincial meet serves as a selection competition for the National Senior and Junior Championships to be held early next year.
Tudor-Cole is hoping a number of the club’s swimmers make it into the provincial team.
Some of them have already posted times that qualify them for tours in South Africa, and the aim is to improve going forward.
“I really hope that every single one that we bring to the championships will make the provincial teams, because most of those swimmers that will be competing at the championships have already got qualifying times for South Africa.
“What we are trying to do now is if they have qualified for, say, Level Two, we are trying to move up to Level Three. And if they have qualified for Level Three, then we are looking for higher levels.
“That is really what our goals are for these championships, because we have kind of already gotten the times. Now we are just trying to get better and maybe go one stage higher.”
Spartans boasts of swimmers such as Alexis Johnsen and Neema Bhulabhai, who have represented the country in regional competitions.
They are also expected to be part of the team going for the African Youth Games in Angola next month.
“Some of my children are going on to the AYG, I have a few swimmers on the team as well. They will be doing the championships, but their main focus will be on AYG.
“They will be almost training through the championships, so they are using it more as a practise, because our goal is to be at peak for AYG. “So that group will be getting ready for championships. But for the rest, we are hoping to have a very good championship. And obviously we will try and defend our title.
“But you know Vikings is a very big club. They are much bigger than us. So is Highlands.
“Highlands are much bigger than us, so it’s hard. We have to really work hard, because we are not the biggest club.
“Our swimmers have to perform at their peak level to win that trophy again,” said Tudor-Cole.
