LUANDA, ANGOLA – The 4th African Youth Games swimming competition roared to life at the Complexo Piscinas de Alvalade on December 12, 2025, with South African athletes dominating the medal standings while host nation Angola celebrated breakthrough performances from their emerging stars.
Sprint Supremacy: Algeria and South Africa Trade Blows
The evening finals opened with explosive sprint action in the 100m Freestyle events. Algeria's Salaheddine Torki produced the standout performance of the night, clocking 52.43 seconds to claim gold in the Boys 14-16 years category. The 15-year-old improved significantly from his morning heat time of 53.15, demonstrating the kind of championship racing that separates contenders from champions.
Torki narrowly edged South Africa's Nicholas Pretorius (52.49), whose second-place finish still represented a strong improvement from his 53.94 prelim swim. Namibia's Rodney Feris rounded out the podium with 54.23, ahead of Zambia's Joshua Mulenga (54.42) and South Africa's Kyle Snyders (55.00). Nigeria's Dumuje Aidan Abili (55.33), Angola's Santiago Rocha Guimaraes (55.75), and Ghana's Kevin Abdallah (56.48) completed the finals field.
In the Girls 100m Freestyle final, South Africa's Abigail Kotze asserted her dominance with a commanding 58.69, improving from her morning heat-leading 59.47. Teammate Gizelle Maritz secured silver in 59.52, while Zimbabwe's Alexis Johnsen claimed bronze with 59.65. Namibia's Vitoria De Sousa (1:00.42) and Botswana's Melodi Saleshando (1:01.10) rounded out the top five, with Mauritius's Chloe Ah Chip (1:01.17), Algeria's Hamdaoui Aya (1:02.47), and Kenya's Macrine Kalombo (1:03.13) also reaching the podium positions.
Butterfly Brilliance: Namibia and Tunisia Triumph
The 200m Butterfly events showcased technical excellence and endurance. Namibia's Lorenzo Esterhuizen delivered a stunning performance in the Boys final, touching in 2:07.26 to claim gold. Tunisia's Mohamed Yassine Mzoughi, who topped the morning heats in 2:13.66, settled for silver with 2:08.66, while South Africa's Nicholas Pretorius—already a silver medalist in the 100m Free—added bronze with 2:12.08.
Algeria's Charifi Mohamed Chafik finished fourth in 2:15.38, followed by Angola's Carlos Daniel Fernandes (2:34.08), Zimbabwe's Sibusiso Fayayo (2:39.23), Angola's Davi Lucas Dode (2:43.53), and Zimbabwe's Callum Chisholm (2:44.93).
The Girls 200m Butterfly final witnessed a thrilling three-way battle at the top. Tunisia's Aycha Ben Miled emerged victorious in 2:27.48, just edging South Africa's Abigail Kotze (2:27.53) and compatriot Halaa Zarouk (2:27.57) in a dramatic finish where mere hundredths separated the medallists. South Africa's Jemmah Roman took fourth (2:30.17), while Algeria secured two more finals positions through Zaidi Ines (2:40.73) and Ziane Hanane (2:46.21). Namibia's Vitoria De Sousa (2:47.28) and Zimbabwe's Daniella Viki (2:51.72) completed the field.
Distance Dominance and Endurance Excellence
South Africa's Leah Markgraaff delivered the most impressive performance of the day, crushing the field in the Girls 1500m Freestyle with a time of 17:53.05—over 28 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Namibia's Madison Bergh claimed silver in 18:21.60, while South Africa's Kylie De Bruyn took bronze with 18:33.93.
Angola's Rhanya Espirito Santo produced a solid fourth-place finish in 18:44.48, demonstrating the host nation's growing depth in distance events. Uganda's Peyton Mary Suubi (18:46.08) edged Tunisia's Kenza Ayari (18:55.78) for fifth, with Tunisia's Zaineb Saidi (19:22.07) and Algeria's Kamilia Amalie Mezaouar (19:51.73) completing the field.
In the Boys 800m Freestyle, Tunisia's Youssef Douma (8:27.64) held off South Africa's Roelof Bartleman (8:29.91) in a tactical race that saw both swimmers maintain remarkable consistency throughout. South Africa's Kellen Jones secured bronze in 8:44.99, well ahead of Zimbabwe's Connor Grist (9:11.67) and Sudan's Adam Ahmed Yacoub Ahmed (9:22.56).
Relay Excitement: Team Unity on Display
The Mixed 4x100m Freestyle relay provided a thrilling conclusion to the evening session. South Africa's team of Eric Kotze, Nicholas Pretorius, Bailey Lambert, and Gizelle Maritz dominated with a time of 3:44.26, showcasing the depth that has made them the team to beat.
Namibia claimed silver in 3:57.09, with Rodney Feris, Lorenzo Esterhuizen, Madison Bergh, and Vitoria De Sousa combining effectively. Tunisia's quartet of Mohamed Yassine Mzoughi, Youssef Douma, Aycha Ben Miled, and Isra Aouem secured bronze in 3:58.21.
Angola's home crowd celebrated enthusiastically as their team of Santiago Rocha Guimaraes, Carlos Daniel Fernandes, Rhanya Espirito Santo, and Maria Teresa Parimbelli finished fourth in 4:00.67, demonstrating the hosts' competitive spirit and improving standards.
With Day 1 complete, the African Youth Games swimming competition has established itself as a showcase for the continent's rising aquatic talent, setting the stage for more thrilling racing ahead.
Results
Photo credit: SASCOC
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