SWIMMER SIMANGA DEFENDS KPMG SWAZI MILE TITLE

LUPHOHLO – Sharks Swimming Club sensational Simanga Dlamini defied all odds to defend his KMPG Swazi Mile title.

The 18-year-old finished the about 1.6km swim right round the Luphohlo Dam on 25 minutes, with an improved 25 seconds from last year’s finishing time. He outclassed the over 90 participants who all finished the mile.

The swimmer, who represented the country in the FINA World Championships last year, was winning the title for the second time in his four appearances. Prior to the competition, Dlamini was confident that he was going to defend the tile.

“It was tough but I made it. My start was not good but towards the end I had more stamina and that’s when I raced first towards the finishing line while all along I had been in the second spot,” he said. Dlamini also complained that the dam had some waves on the day and that almost saw him getting lost towards the end.

“This time there were a lot of challenges inside. First we knocked each other, especially at the start. Also, due to the waves, I found myself swallowing a lot of water. However, giving myself ample time to train for the mile helped me to win. I was confident days before the competition that I would win,” Dlamini said.

In overall, coming second was Derek Takis on 26 minutes. The 35-year-old was competing for the first time in the mile. Takis joked that the officials had to look if Simanga was not using water flips. “That young man can swim. He was always right behind me and he never gave me a chance to dash for a distance. Towards the end he swam like a fish and I had no chance of catching up with him,” he said. Third was Mark Hoare while Sithembiso Mamba was fourth. The winners went home with prizes, certificates and T-shirts.

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