Nearly 200 of Mpumalanga and Limpopo’s best swimmers competed in the Interprovincial Gala in Curro Nelspruit’s swimming pool on August 26.
Numerous fantastic performances were displayed in the pool, with a bunch of Mpumalanga’s swimmers smashing their personal best times (PB) in various events.
”The Mpumalanga swimmers swam a total of 145 PBs, which is excellent for so early in the season. We also took the overall best performance for the multi-class trophy, which encourages persons who are not able-bodied or intellectually impaired to also participate in swimming as a healthy and welcoming sport,” the president of the Mpumalanga Swimming Federation, Ronel van Veenhuyzen, said.
In the 177 events, the Mpumalanga team racked up 48 gold, 57 silver and 46 bronze medals.
The Limpopo aquatics team walked away with the junior female and male trophies for best performances of the day, while Mpumalanga received the trophies for the best senior female and male performances.
The Mpumalanga swimmers also scored the highest of the two, securing the overall win for the province.
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All in all, the day saw a 10% increase in attendees compared to last year, which is a testament to the growth of the sport across these two provinces. According to Van Veenhuyzen, the gala aimed to promote growth. “The purpose of the interprovincial swimming event was to collaborate with neighbouring swimming federations, and to provide competition for swimmers on a similar level of performance to ensure healthy competition. This promotes growth and stimulates drive. It was also to grow and promote swimming as an essential life skill,” she said.
The day was well supported by spectators as well, which made for a vibey atmosphere outside the pool.
At the conclusion of the gala, Mpumalanga Swimming was praised for its excellent organisation and the high level of professionalism throughout the event.
