Ronan Wantenaar and Heleni Stergiadis, retained their Ludorum trophies this past weekend in Windhoek. The two Namibian swimmers walked away as Senior Victor and Victrix Ludorum title holders after taking part in the four-day Bank Windhoek Long Course National Championships.
Representing Marlins Swimming Club, Wantenaar recorded 3 438 Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) points while Dolphins' Stergiadis logged 3 421 FINA points. Apart from swimming, the duo take their education seriously.
Asked how he manages his tertiary studies and swimming, Wantenaar said the love for swimming helps him to focus on life. "I have been training hard since last year, even throughout my exams. It was not easy, but the passion for the sport helped me through it all," said Wantenaar, who is studying towards his electrical engineering degree in South Africa. He also walked away with eight other individual awards.
Wantenaar's advice to his fellow youth is to keep believing in themselves and their talents. "Keep doing what you love, and you will always be happy in life," he said.
Stergiadis, who scooped up her third Senior Victrix Ludorum, said she was particularly proud to be part of the Bank Windhoek Long Course National Championships again. "I saw that everybody put in their best performance after coming back from the African Swimming Confederation (CANA). The spirit from everyone, including my team Dolphins, was tremendous, thank you to my team and Bank Windhoek," said Stergiadis, who is currently in her last year in high school. “This is my most important year to date, and I am still deciding what I need to study at tertiary level, but as long as I can keep swimming and studying, I will be happy."
Dolphins' Oliver Durand, won Junior Victor Ludorum, while Maya Stange won her first Junior Victrix Ludorum. Durand, who is currently in grade seven, said that he will now focus on breaking records and his education. Stange said: "I am so thrilled after putting in so much work. It feels good, and I am happy about my achievement. Thank you, everyone, for the support."
Bank Windhoek's Head of Corporate Affairs, Hayley Allen, said: "Congratulations to all the winners. What makes Bank Windhoek proud is despite the physical demand of the sport, how their swimming helps these athletes balance the demands of their education, is remarkable. All the best to all of them."
Overview of the Bank Windhoek Long Course National Championships
With a total of nine records broken, the Bank Windhoek Long Course National Championships saw 176 swimmers from seven clubs race for top honours in 1 493 events. From these clubs, four were from Windhoek, two from Swakopmund, and one from Oranjemund. They are Aqua Swimming Club, Dolphins Swimming Club, Flippers Swimming Club, Marlins Aquatics Club, Phoenix Swimming Club, Swakopmund Swimming Club, and Oranjemund Swimming Club. The team trophy went to Dolphins Swimming club with 4 257 points. They also won the trophy in 2019.
The Namibian Swimming Union (NASU) hosted the event. “We are proud that our swimmers managed to achieve great results. They were competing on the back of CANA Zone IV in Botswana and swam in cold and rainy conditions. The swimmers resolve, and tenacity is commendable," said NASU's Executive Committee Member, Nicky McNamara.
Below are the full results Trophy winners:
Bank Windhoek Long Course National Championships Trophy winners
| Event | Male | Female |
| 50 Free | Ronan Wantenaar | Viktoria Ellmies |
| 100 Free | Corne Le Roux | Viktoria Ellmies |
| 200 Free | Jose Canjulo | Viktoria Ellmies |
| 400 Free | Corne Le Roux | Heleni Stergiadis |
| 800 Free | N/A | Viktoria Ellmies |
| 1500 Free | not achieved | N/A |
| 50 Back | Ronan Wantenaar | Heleni Stergiadis |
| 100 Back | Ronan Wantenaar | Heleni Stergiadis |
| 200 Back | Jose Canjulo | Heleni Stergiadis |
| 50 Breast | Ronan Wantenaar | not achieved |
| 100 Breast | Ronan Wantenaar | not achieved |
| 200 Breast | Ronan Wantenaar | not achieved |
| 50 Fly | Ronan Wantenaar | Heleni Stergiadis |
| 100 Fly | Corne Le Roux | Joanne Liebenberg |
| 200 Fly | Corne Le Roux | Joanne Liebenberg |
| 200 IM | Ronan Wantenaar | Heleni Stergiadis |
| 400 IM | Jose Canjulo | Heleni Stergiadis |
| | | |
| Single Best Performance | | |
| Corne Le Roux | 100 Fly | 602 FINA Points |
“We are further exceptionally grateful to Bank Windhoek for their continued support and assistance. On the whole, we are delighted with the Championships and wish to thank the parents and swimmers for their assistance and contributions," concluded McNamara.
The Bank Windhoek Long Course National Championships is the highlight of the Bank Windhoek Long Course Gala season. It serves as the trials for the South African Junior Championships scheduled to take in South Africa next month.
