E11k for ‘golden boy’ Luca
MBABANE – Eswatini’s celebrated swimmer Luca ‘GD6’ Fraser will have plenty to be happy about after securing two medals at the recently concluded Dubai Open and Junior Swimming Championships.
Fraser travelled to the tournament alongside the interim President and renowned Coach, Welcome Nhlabatsi. The duo returned home with two medals from the championships, with Fraser being the standout performer. He secured two medals for the country in the 50-metre Breaststroke category, winning a gold medal with a time of 32.53 seconds, and in the 100-metre Breaststroke category, where he finished with a time of 1:14.31 minutes, earning a bronze medal.
According to a well-informed source, the money the swimmer will earn is from the government’s financial incentives, which are a token of appreciation for international outstanding performances.
Policy
“These are normally rewards based on a laid down policy developed by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, through the Eswatini Sport and Recreation Council (ESRC), which all sporting associations are aware of. Luca earned E8 000 in total for the one gold and E3 000 for the bronze medal. This means that the swimmer will walk away with E11 000 for his impressive performance,” said the source.
Fraser expressed his gratitude towards his Coach Nhlabatsi, for his belief and support in helping him achieve success.
“I was definitely feeling nervous before the race when I saw the personal best times of the other swimmers. But to come out on top and take first place, I’m over the moon. I want to give a huge shout-out to my coach, Welcome, for having faith in me and pushing me to do my best. And of course, a big thank you to Viva Water for their generous sponsorship, which enabled us to travel to Dubai for the championships,” he said.
Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) released a statement, lauding Luca’s accomplishment of acquiring gold at the Dubai Aquatics Championships.
“This is testimony of the talent that the country possesses in sport. Such performances are a demonstration of the trajectory that we are taking towards acquiring the first Olympic medal for the country in the next few Olympic Games. Our strategy is firmly set on empowering young elite athletes with the opportunity of realising their true potential. This takes a combination of undivided commitment from the a wide range of stakeholders, including the athlete, parents, EOCGA/Sports Council and sponsors.
In this regard, we applaud Luca for this great achievement, and pass our gratitude to his parents for the support they are giving him.
“We would like to implore potential sponsors and the corporate sector to partner with us as we strive to put the country on the international map in the field of sport,” reads part of the statement in part.