Zimpapers Logo

Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE amassed the most points while South Africa topped the medals’ table in the Cana Zone IV Swimming and Water Polo Championships which ended at the Bulawayo City Pool yesterday.

Team Zimbabwe was declared the winner of the event after scoring 2 958.50 points followed by Zambia with 2 295.50 and South Africa a distant third with 1 939 points.

However, South Africa hauled 43 gold medals compared to Zimbabwe’s 23. The hosts also clinched 37 silver and 38 bronze to finish the championships with a total of 98 medals, while South Africa scooped 26 silver and 10 bronze to emerge with 79 medals.

Zambia managed 18 gold, 11 silver and 20 bronze medals.

Australia-based Robyn Lee was the toast of Team Zimbabwe by clinching five gold medals.

On Saturday the 18-year-old won the 17 years and over 100m butterfly in one minute 04.43 seconds to eclipse the previous Games’ record of 1:05.67.

She clocked 28.65 seconds in the 50m butterfly and shaved off three milliseconds from Namibia’s Zanre Oberholzer’s previous record of 1:06.10 in the 100m backstroke.

Lee added two more gold medals in the 200m individual medley and 200m butterfly yesterday.

Lee and her teammates Devyn Leask, Nyasha Mukonoweshuro and Maryke Keon set two new championship records in the 15 years and over 400m and 200m freestyle relays. They set a new time of 4:10.28 in the 400m relay and 1:52.87 in the 200m race.

Zimbabwe’s captain Brendon Cyprianos clinched gold in the 200m medley relay and the mixed 15 and over 400m relay in which he was joined by Lee, Leask and Liam O’Hara.

Cyprianos also won silver medals in the 50m and 100m backstroke, bronze in the 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle in the 17 and over age group.

O’Hara and Liam Davies emerged first and second respectively in the 100m breaststroke. Davies then won the 200m breaststroke, while O’Hara was second.

Donata Katai and Kunda Nyambawaro grabbed first and second place in the 12 and under 100m butterfly event. Katai also won silver in the 200m individual medley.

Thirteen-year-old Piage van der Westhuizen clinched silver in the 14 and under age group’s 400m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle. She also took bronze in the 100m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 50m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke, and was also part of the 200m medley relay and 400m freestyle relay teams that won silver medals.

Zimbabwe were, however, trounced in the water polo competition by South Africa, losing all 12 matches.

Sports and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane was pleased by Team Zimbabwe’s performance.

“Results show that in terms of silver and bronze, Zimbabwe has done very well. We need to tweak the qualitative aspects of how we are performing so that we migrate those who got silver to gold and those from bronze to the silver and gold. I am happy as minister with this performance by the swimming team,” said Hlongwane.

Zimbabwe Aquatic Union president Mary Kloppers said the organisational aspect of the game was flawless.

She thanked the Government for assisting them to host a successful tournament.

Final Cana scoreboard

1.    Zimbabwe    2958.5

2.    Zambia        2295.5

3.    South Africa    1939

4.    Mauritius     1687.5

5.    Kenya         1373

6.    Botswana    1014

7.    Mozambique    881

8.    Namibia        681.5

9.    Uganda         627

10.    Malawi        608

11.    Seychelles    598

12.    Angola         361

13.    Tanzania     206