Nasfed's five shine at Angola Independence gala

Namibia stole the show at Angola’s 50th Independence Celebration Swimming Championship held in Luanda from last Friday to Sunday.

Participating alongside five other national and club teams, the Namibian Aquatic Sports Federation (Nasfed) sent a five-member team that emerged as Best Team Overall and dominated the women’s division.

The Namibians (22 gold, ten silver, five bronze) finished at the top of the standings ahead of Angola (19 gold, 18 silver, 31 bronze) and South Africa (nine gold, seven silver, one bronze), with the Náutico da Ilha de Luanda club team in fourth place (22 medals, five gold), Selecao de Portugal fifth (11 medals, four gold) and Selecao de Mocambique sixth (12 medals, four gold).

Adding their podium finishes in relay events, the Namibians brought back a total of 39 medals.

Team Namibia – consisting of Jessica Humphrey, José Canjulo, Lorenzo Esterhuizen, Ainoa Naukosho and Victoria De Sousa – earned the top accolades as Best Team Overall and Best Female Team, while the host nation clinched the Best Male Team award.

Individually, Ainoa Naukosho (Namibia) was named Best Female Swimmer and Santiago Guimarães (Angola) was the Best Male Swimmer.

The collated Namibian results:



Seventeen-year-old Jessica Humphrey claimed six gold medals in each of the events she entered, showing her versatility and great form.

50m freestyle 27.28

100m freestyle 59.79

50m backstroke 30.11

100m backstroke 1:04.06

200m backstroke 2:20.76

50m butterfly 28.94



The 14-year-old Ainoa Naukosho had a stellar outing, winning six gold medals, one silver, and being crowned the Best Female Swimmer of the entire competition:

50m freestyle – 28.91 (gold)

100m freestyle – 1:02.44 (gold)

50m backstroke – 32.59 (gold)

100m backstroke – 1:10.42 (gold)

50m butterfly – 30.47 (gold)

100m butterfly – 1:08.33 (gold)

200m butterfly – 2:37.67 (gold)

400m medley – 5:32.97 (silver)



José Canjulo (19) impressed with double gold and three other podium finishes:

50m breaststroke – gold (29.46)

100m breaststroke – gold (1:06.08)

200m medley – silver (2:12.62)

100m freestyle – bronze (54.22)

50m backstroke – bronze (27.95)



Lorenzo Esterhuizen (16) showed his endurance and versatility.

200m butterfly – silver (2:11.54)

400m medley – silver (4:46.35)

200m backstroke – bronze (2:12.50)

100m backstroke – bronze (1:01.02)

200m medley – bronze (2:15.58)



Victoria De Sousa (14) – six golds and several silvers – had a busy schedule and showed she is a prospect to watch.

200m freestyle – gold (2:17.09)

400m freestyle – gold (4:55.21)

100m breaststroke – gold (1:24.59)

200m breaststroke – gold (2:56.85)

200m medley – gold (2:33.71)

400m medley – gold (5:22.08)

50m freestyle – silver (29.29)

100m freestyle – silver (1:04.05)

50m breaststroke – silver (38.03)

50m butterfly – silver (31.39)

100m butterfly – silver (1:13.50)

Team coach Dentie Louw told Network Sport Hub: “The overall performance was excellent. Both the boys and girls performed exceptionally well. Personal bests were achieved, medals were won, and Namibia secured the overall team trophy. The girls also won the overall girls’ trophy, and Ainoa Naukosho was named the best female swimmer.

“It was an exciting weekend of racing in fast waters—just a great competition to be part of, competing against other countries.”

Nasfed president Riaan Steyn pointed out that South Africa, for instance, did not send a big team and cautioned against over-hyping the results.

“From a Federation point of view, we are extremely proud of the swimmers and their exceptional performances at this invitational competition. We do not take part half-heartedly in any competition, nor do we send athletes that are not able to perform. We, however, need to gain some perspective on the level of the competition.”