LUANDA, ANGOLA – South African swimmers continued their commanding performance on the second day of swimming competition at the 4th African Youth Games, claiming multiple gold medals across freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke events at the Complexo Piscinas de Alvalade on December 13, 2025. The evening session showcased exceptional performances from athletes across the continent, with several countries securing breakthrough medals in technical events.
Freestyle Excellence: South Africa and Tunisia Battle for Supremacy
The Girls 200m Freestyle final witnessed a South African one-two finish, with Bailey Lambert claiming gold in 2:06.85, just ahead of teammate Giuliana Vyncke who touched in 2:07.86. Zimbabwe's Alexis Johnsen—already a medalist from Day 1—added bronze with a time of 2:12.26, demonstrating her versatility across multiple freestyle distances.
Tunisia's Kenza Ayari secured fourth place in 2:13.13, followed by Namibia's Vitoria De Sousa (2:13.66), who continued her consistent performances across multiple events. Algeria captured positions six and seven through Nouioua Hanna Reyhana (2:15.47) and Ferdi Cerine (2:17.25), while Angola's home crowd favorite Rhanya Espirito Santo rounded out the field in 2:17.77.
In the Boys 200m Freestyle, South Africa's Matthew Goller delivered a commanding victory in 1:55.34, establishing himself as one of the rising stars of African youth swimming. Tunisia's Youssef Douma—the Day 1 distance champion—proved his middle-distance credentials with silver in 1:57.39, while Algeria's Torki Salaheddine, the 100m Free champion, claimed bronze in 1:57.72.
South Africa's Kellen Jones added another medal to his collection with fourth place in 1:58.90, ahead of Zambia's Joshua Mulenga (2:03.57), Angola's Santiago Rocha Guimaraes (2:05.08), Namibia's Rodney Feris (2:05.21), and Uganda's Isaiah Kuc Abner (2:09.47).
Breaststroke Brilliance: Technical Mastery on Display
South Africa's Chanel Veldsman produced the standout performance of the evening in the Girls 100m Breaststroke, dominating with a time of 1:10.99 that earned 737 points. Tunisia's Omri Ilef claimed silver in 1:16.00, well ahead of Algeria's Benmahammed Rahma (1:18.87) and Zimbabwe's Neema Bhulabhai (1:19.15).
South Africa's Saskya Kistnasami finished fifth in 1:19.73, followed by Namibia's Vitoria De Sousa (1:21.17), Angola's Kenenise Holy Vongo (1:21.77), and Botswana's Matipaishe Gondo (1:23.37).
The Boys 100m Breaststroke final featured one of the closest finishes of the championships, with South Africa's Cole Martin touching in 1:07.07 to edge Algeria's Mohamed El Hadi Sigha (1:07.13) by just six hundredths of a second. Algeria's Fateh Amine Zebar completed a North African podium sweep with bronze in 1:07.26, narrowly ahead of South Africa's Jayden Williams in 1:07.88.
Kenya's Neo Olengo secured fifth in 1:09.88, followed by Zimbabwe's Nathan Chibva (1:10.34), Eswatini's Luca Fraser (1:11.06), and Ghana's Tamba Akin Boamah (1:13.43).
Sprint Butterfly: Speed and Power Combined
South Africa's Maya Mgcina claimed gold in the Girls 50m Butterfly with a time of 29.25, narrowly defeating Botswana's Melodi Saleshando (29.32) and Mauritius's Chloe Ah Chip (29.36) in a tightly contested race. Tunisia's Shaina Marzouk (29.67) and Zimbabwe's Alexis Johnsen (29.87) rounded out the top five, with Namibia's Roselinda Matyayi (29.99), Ghana's Oduma Agyei (30.40), and Tunisia's Omri Ilef (31.40) completing the field.
The Boys 50m Butterfly showcased South African sprint power, with Nicholas Pretorius winning gold in 24.75 and Eric Kotze taking silver in 24.84. Nigeria's Dumuje Aidan Abili claimed bronze in 25.78, ahead of Algeria's Achouri Amine Mahdi (26.20) and Rabia Ilias Amine (26.27). Namibia's Rodney Feris (26.40), Kenya's Igbaal Bayusuf (26.84), and Zambia's Joshua Mulenga (27.34) completed the finals.
Backstroke Technical Excellence
South Africa dominated the Girls 200m Backstroke, with Mila Van der Linde claiming gold in 2:21.33 and Arabella Bayly securing silver in 2:23.58. Algeria's Hemani Lyna took bronze in 2:28.85, ahead of Namibia's Madison Bergh (2:33.54) and Algeria's Hamdaoui Aya (2:33.97). Tunisia claimed positions six and seven through Isra Aouem (2:35.49) and Halaa Zarouk (2:36.62), with Namibia's Roselinda Matyayi finishing eighth in 2:38.15.
Algeria's Houd Abed delivered a commanding performance in the Boys 200m Backstroke, winning gold in 2:07.92. South Africa's Roelof Bartleman took silver in 2:12.48, while Namibia's Lorenzo Esterhuizen claimed bronze in 2:13.08. South Africa's Kyle Snyders finished fourth (2:19.63), followed by Algeria's Charifi Mohamed Chafik (2:21.09), Zimbabwe's Jwes Jared (2:29.06), Mauritius's K. Chung Yeung Wa (2:33.08), and Angola's Oleksander Mario Zhukov (2:37.88).
Relay Finale: South Africa Seals Another Gold
The Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay provided a thrilling conclusion to Day 2, with South Africa's team of Bailey Lambert, Cole Martin, Eric Kotze, and Abigail Kotze claiming gold in 4:09.66. Algeria secured silver in 4:16.12, while Tunisia took bronze in 4:27.20.
Zimbabwe (4:31.25), Kenya Aquatics (4:34.90), Angola (4:40.19), Ghana (4:44.37), and Mauritius (4:48.57) demonstrated the growing competitive depth across African aquatics.
With two days of competition complete, the African Youth Games continues to showcase the exceptional talent and competitive spirit of the continent's youth swimmers, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the championships.
Photo credit: SASCOC
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