Botswana Swimmers in quest for Olympic Qualification
Botswana’s national swimming team, comprising of 12 talented athletes, embarked on a journey to Angola to represent the country in the highly anticipated African Aquatics and Open Water Swimming Championships. With aspirations of securing qualifications for the Olympics, the competition, scheduled from April 30th to May 5th, holds great significance for the determined team.
The Botswana Swimming Association has expressed high hopes for their athletes to achieve Olympic qualifying times at the African Aquatics Open Water Championships. With no Botswana athletes having yet qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics in swimming, the Association sees this event as a prime opportunity for their swimmers to make a mark and secure their spots in the prestigious competition.
They highlighted that the team has demonstrated strong performances at the All Africa Games, which served as a valuable preparation ground for the African Aquatics Open Water Championships. As a result, the Association believes that their swimmers have a strong chance of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics.
The Botswana team consists of six male swimmers: Khumo Newman, Rayhan Khonat, Benco Rooyen, Khalil Sethi, Takunda Gondo, and Mmusi Matthews while the six female swimmers consists Yun-suh Chan, Tselane Matthews, Amaru Ditlhong, Kyra Harry, Kimberly Ingwe, and Melodi Saleshando. The team will be led by Head Coach, Owen Caple and Team Manager, Bianca Chana Kira. Swimmers will participate in various categories, such as male and female relay teams, mixed relays, freestyle relays, and individual races.
Speaking during the send-off ceremony on Saturday, Botswana Swimming Sport Association (BSSA) board member, Kelebogile Molefe expressed excitement about the team of 12 swimmers participating in the largest swimming competition on the continent. She encouraged the athletes to remember that they are representing Botswana as a united team, and should collaborate to achieve their shared goal of hitting Olympic qualifying times.
Owen Caple, the team's head coach, expressed confidence in the strength of the team, stating that their main objective is to secure qualifications for the Paris 2024 Olympics. He emphasized that the team consists of a variety of talented swimmers who have consistently performed well, and they will be putting in the hard work necessary to earn their spots at the Olympics. “All of our swimmers have the potential to achieve great things and our ultimate goal is to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, so we have been working extremely hard. I have confidence that our team will put on a strong performance at the upcoming competition, and we hope this will lead to securing our spots in the Olympics,” said the coach.
The African Aquatics Open Water Championships is a prestigious continental competition organized by the Africa Aquatics, the governing body for aquatics sports in Africa. The event brings together elite African athletes to compete in various open water swimming disciplines, including individual and relay races of various distances. The competition serves as a platform for African swimmers to showcase their skills, additionally, the event serves as a qualifying round for international events such as the World Aquatics Championships and the Olympic Games.