Zimbabwe leading points table on Day 3 of the CANA Zone IV Swimming and Water Polo Championships 2017
The city had been affected by a tropical storm emanating from the effects of Cyclone Dineo as it rained all day on Friday but clouds cleared this (Saturday) morning as the day progressed.
The day also saw some exceptional performances with several swimmers setting new times. South Africa took the lead on medal table but Zimbabwe was at the top in the Combined Team Scores list, which determines the winner of the championships.
After the morning session events, South Africa had accumulated 47 medals, with 25 of them being gold, 16 were silver and six being bronze. Zimbabwe had bagged 51 medals; 11 gold, 22 silver and 18 bronze while Zambia was third 10 gold, 4 silver and 14 bronze medals.
On the point’s scoreboard, Zimbabwe had 1702.5 points followed by Zambia with 1299 and on third place was South Arica with 1163 points.
Cana Zone IV president Mr. Jace Naidoo said they were pleased with the competition exhibited by the swimmers so far adding new times were a testimony of the great performances in the pool. He said they were pleased with the increase in the number of swimmers taking part in this year’s regional meet. “Last year we had a record number of entries in Mauritius and we were delighted by this and we are again happy that this year the number has increased showing the competition if growing every year. The year-on-year growth increases the profile of the tournament and we will strive to ensure swimmers keep increasing each year,” said Mr. Naidoo.
He expressed disappointment at the unavailability of Cana Zone IV countries, namely Swaziland, Lesotho, Comoros and Madagascar attributing their absence to resource constraints. Mr. Naidoo said in response plans are at an advanced stage of setting up a solidarity fund, which he hopes would ensure the presence of these countries at the next edition of the championships. He said the presence of water polo, for the first time, at the championships was another sign of the expansion of the event. Although only eight teams from South Africa and Zimbabwe are taking part this year, Zambia had already expressed interest in taking part next year; an indication there is room for growth.
Combined Teams Scores after Saturday morning session:
1. Zimbabwe 1702.5
2. Zambia 1299
3. South Africa 1163
4. Mauritius 1002
5. Kenya 830
6. Botswana 635
7. Mozambique 515
8. Namibia 392.5
9. Uganda 390
10. Malawi 385
11. Seychelles 355
12. Angola 221
13. Tanzania 163
The full results are available at:
http://swimsa.org/liveresults/2017/2017-cana-zone-iv-swimming-champs-zimbabwe
ENDS
CANA Zone IV is the governing body of aquatics in Southern Africa.
Its objective is to encourage the practice of aquatic disciplines for all in Southern Africa with the purpose of promoting swimming as a life skill through Learn To Swim programmes; providing healthy exercise to Southern Africans of all ages and races; recruiting recreational swimmers to compete in the various competitions; and promoting competition and athlete development to the highest level.