2024 African Swimming Championships
- April 29-May 4, 2024
- Luanda, Angola
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Mobile: XVI Africa Aquatics Swimming Championships
The Africa Aquatics Swimming Championships were held in Angola this past week. Highlighting the meet was South Africa’s Lara Van Niekerk who won two of the breaststroke events. Van Niekerk has been in the final of the 50 breaststroke at the last three LCM World Championships. She was on the podium for bronze in 2022 and was 4th in both 2023 and 2024.
She led the way in the 50 breast swimming a 31.05 while her best time is a 29.73. She won the 200 in a 2:33.34. She finished 2nd in the 100 breast swimming a 1:09.07 to finish behind fellow country-woman Simone Moll who touched in a 1:08.05, a best time by 0.11. Moll will head to the US this fall to swim for Miami-FL.
Also earning two wins on the women’s side was Algeria’s Amel Melih as she won the 50 free in a 25.73 and the 50 fly in a 27.14. Her old best time in the 50 fly was a 27.28 from last year’s Mare Mostrum stop in Monte-Carlo.
Sweeping the women’s IM events was Algeria’s Rania Hamida Nefsi as she cruised to a win in the 400 IM with a 4:57.10 winning by over ten seconds. Her best time if a 4:52.13 from 2016. The 27 year old also won the 200 IM touching in a 2:20.59 to finish ahead of Egypt’s Nadine Amin (2:20.87).
20 year old Lojine Hamed of Egypt won the mid-distance freestyle events. Her first win came in the 200 as she swam a 2:04.84. Later in the meet, she won the 400 free in a 4:25.38. Both were best times by about half a second.
Other women’s event winners:
- 100 free: Muzito Gloria 56.78
- 200 fly: Jaime Mote 2:18.70
- 200 back: Anishta Teeluck 2:17.96
- 100 fly: Oumy Diop 1:02.55
- 50 back: Sara El Sammy 29.58
- 100 back: Cassidy Burgess 1:03.08
Highlighting the men’s side of the meet was Algeria’s Jaouad Syoud who won three events. Syoud first picked up the win in the 200 breast swimming a 2:15.14 to win by over three seconds. His 2nd win came in the 400 IM as he swam a 4:24.17 to win by over four seconds. His final win was in the 200 IM as he swam a 2:02.12. None of the three wins marked best times for the 25 year old.
Egypt’s Abd El Rahman Adnan showed off his sprinting abilities as he won the 50 freestyle in a 22.59 out-touching fellow countryman Omar Radwan who touched in a 22.61. Radwan won the 50 fly in a 24.34. The 50 free was not El Rahman Adnan’s only win at the meet as he won the 50 back in a 26.26, finishing ahead of Sudan’s Ziyad Saleem who was 2nd in a 26.29. Saleem had the edge in the 100 and 200 backstroke events though as he won the 100 in a 56.37 and 200 in a 2:02.64. El Rahman Adnan was 2nd in the 100 in a 56.97 and a 2:04.72 in the 200.
18 year old Abdalla Nasr of Egypt swam to three wins. First, he won the 200 fly in a 2:00.06. His best time is a 1:57.85 that he swam at 2024 Worlds in Doha. He also swam to a win in the 100 fly swimming a 53.49 just off his best of a 53.31 from 2024 Worlds as well. He swam to a personal best in the 200 free swimming a 1:50.54, faster than his old best of a 1:51.63.
Other men’s event winners:
- 100 free: Clayton Jimmie 50.44
- 100 breast: Chris Smith 1:02.16
- 400 free: Kris Mihaylov 3:57.14
- 50 breast: Chris Smith 27.66
The African champs winner in M 50 free tied the USA OT cut 😬