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MBABANE – Swim Lab Swimming Club’s Luca Fraser was on fire as he broke more plates than records in the ESA National Championships held over the past week.
Eswatini Swimming Association (ESA) held its national championships from the beginning of last week and ended yesterday at Enjabulweni School to wrap-up the 2022/2023 season. However, history books were rewritten as the country’s sensational young swimmer broke national records that have stood for up to 34 years.
Fraser, also walked away with a trophy for being the best junior male on Saturday, reset the boys’ 12 and under 200m freestyle record to 2:2.28. This 1989 record had been set at 2:26:90 by a swimmer who in the records appears in initials as R. Garnier. As that was not enough, he went on to break Garnier’s 1990 record 2:44:73 prior to smashing the boys 1112 100 metres IM’s C. Harmse’s 1994 record. He improved it by five seconds, taking it from 1:15.86 to 1:10.44. The 12-year-old also demonstrated some great improvement he has taken on his personal best as he broke three and two of his personal best records yesterday and on Saturday, respectively. Inside the pool yesterday, his improvements were in 50 metres butterfly and freestyle as well as the 200 metres breaststroke.
Meanwhile, Fraser was excited about this achievement and said he dreamt of attending the Olympic Games one day.
“I’m very grateful for all who supported me, especially my mum and dad. My season has been very special, especiallly with me breaking records in Mozambique and here. It’s a result of training hard and of the support I get. I’ll persist on focusing on my training to maintain and improve the standard,” said Fraser.
Meanwhile, outstanding national junior sportswoman of the year and ESA 2022/2023 junior female star Hayley Hoy had an improved personal best time record in the 100 metres. She broke the record she set during ESA National Championships of 2021/2022 to 1:10.10.
However, ESA President Herman Jele said this meant an improvement in the quality of the country’s swimmers.
“We’ve seen our simmers setting their new personal best time, and that is a clear indication that the quality and level of swimmers in Eswatini is improving steadily. We’re happy for that and the number of swimmers who attended championships which is the cream of the crop. Really, we’re experiencing top class perfomance in terms of swimming,” said Jele.
(More reports in next edition)
Boys and U 200m freestyle 2:2.28 (previously held by R. Garnier: 2:26:90, March 1989) Boys 12 and U 2:44.73 previously held by R Garnier, April 1990)
Boys 11-12 100M IM 1:10.44 (previously held by C Harmse April 1994 1:15.86)
Boys 11-12 50m Breast 32.98 (broke his own record for November 2022)
Boys 11-12 100m Breast 1:14:68 (broke his own record for November 2022)
Boys 11-12 50M Butterfly 30.24 (broke his own record for November 2022 (31.22))
Boys 11-12 200M Breaststroke 2:53.38 (broke his own record from October 2022 (2:58.04)) Boys 11-12 50M Freestyle 28.02 (broke his own record from November 2022 (28.19))