In the previous edition of the competition, Botswana struggled to finish in the top three. The last time the country finished on the podium was in 2020, also in Gaborone. South Africa dominated the 13–16 age groups, whilst Namibia dominated the senior categories. Team head coach, Gondo Gondo told MmegiSport that he was not only excited by the team’s performance, but also grateful to everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the event possible for the swimmers. According to Gondo, the team had set the bar higher and that the next national team would be under pressure to match or better the 2026 results. He said the team was selected in May 2026 and comprised 43 swimmers, 22 boys and 21 girls. The group immediately began preparations for the XXII Africa Aquatics Zone IV Swimming Championships, starting with a training camp held under the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTCB) Future Stars Programme. “The training camp took place in July during the President’s Day holidays. After that, swimmers trained and prepared with their respective club coaches. “Swimming is a unique sport in that preparation for any competition is mainly done by the swimmer together with his or her club coach. The national team coaches only take over once the swimmer gets into camp,” he said.
Gondo added that although no specific medal target had been set, a number of swimmers had been earmarked for medals based on their times. He said the swimmers lived up to expectations, delivering medals whilst also breaking national records during the competition. He singled out Lame Thomba, who won the Overall Girl Swimmer in the 12-and-under 50m freestyle category. “Yun-suh Chang broke her own national records in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, setting times of 33.91 seconds in the 50m breaststroke and 1:18.11 in the 100m breaststroke. Thomba also set a new games record in the 400m freestyle, clocking 5:11.91. “The team performed beyond my expectations, with some really amazing swimming across all the team members. The senior and more mature swimmers helped build confidence amongst the younger and inexperienced swimmers by finishing on the podium in almost all their events.
