Swimming ends the year with a bang
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday December 22, 2025 06:00
Matipaishe Gondo claimed a silver medal after powering to a new Personal Best (PB) of 28.05 in the 50m breaststroke. Gondo has set a new national record for the 15–16-year age group.
President of the Botswana Swimming Sport Association (BSSA), Kgaotsang Matthews, told MmegiSport that the performance of the swimmers is a confirmation that the swimming development programme is working.
She noted that consistent investment in athlete pathways, coaching education, and competition exposure is beginning to yield results.
“All four athletes who made up the team are part of the Future Stars programme under the DTCB sponsorship. This performance did not happen overnight.
“They are the product of structured training, age-group development, and deliberate preparation of athletes to compete at an international level,” she said.
Matthews explained that the medals are not the destination but milestones amidst a longer journey toward sustained excellence.
She said, most importantly, the achievement is an indication that Botswana swimming is building depth, whilst not relying on isolated talent.
“That gives us confidence that the future of the sport is strong and that we are moving in the right direction,” the president added.
Meanwhile, the BSSA national championships came to an end on Sunday, with around 390 swimmers participating.
Matthews said preparations for the championships were smooth, as they included representatives from the Zone IV Local Organising Committee (LOC) to see where BSSA should improve when they host next year.
“We had many hands on deck, which added to the success of the event. We also ordered new equipment and new technology for the event. There was an increase in the number of swimmers who took part in the competition,” she said.
DMSS Gators continued their dominance, a 20-year streak. The club accumulated 2,703.50 points—over 1,525 points ahead of second-placed Propellers Swimming Club, followed by Gaborone Aquatics Club in third position. DMSS bagged 220 medals (102 gold, 65 silver, and 53 bronze).
DMSS also snatched 19 of the 21 relay gold medals. The club walked away with the overall men’s and women’s team titles, alongside multiple national age group and relay records, highlighting excellence from grassroots through to senior level.
DMSS high-performance programme manager-coach, Colter Carman, told MmegiSport that the club was able to dominate the competition because of consistency in training, racing, and details.
“We see nationals as a continuation of the season; the bigger picture is international swimming galas, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, South African galas, the rest of the continent, and the world.
“The plan was not to train for the national championships; we train with a reason, and the reason is to compete and continue competing,” he said.
Carman said every year they come up with a plan for the entire season. He noted that swimmers are held accountable for their times, efforts, and goals, which assists the technical team to work hand-in-hand with the swimmers to achieve their targets.
He said the efforts that swimmers put in during training are the results they get at galas.
DMSS Results: Leano Manowe (boys 9–10 years), Jade Chilisa (11–12 years), Mmoloki Raymond (boys 11–12), Nikita Kurewa (girls 15–16), Rayhan Khonat (boys 17 and over), and Maxine Egner (girls 17 and over).