Staff Reporter
FOUR Namibian swimmers competed at the 2026 World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Santa Fe, Argentina, with Madison Sara Bergh recording the country’s highest individual finish at the four-day event.
The seventh edition of the championships was held from 3 to 6 September 2026, bringing together about 250 to 269 swimmers aged between 14 and 19 from approximately 40 countries.
Bergh, 17, finished 30th in the women’s 7.5km event for the 16–17 age group in a time of 1:40:50.90, finishing 11 minutes and 28.40 seconds behind the winner.
She also competed in the women’s 3km Knockout Sprint, finishing 19th in 17:50.50, 1:17.20 behind the winner.
In the men’s 10km event for the 18–19 age group, Alex Werner Marggraff, 18, finished 37th in 2:04:30.00, recording a time 17 minutes and 43.70 seconds behind the winner.
Tristan Timothy Nell, 18, also competed in the men’s 10km event but was recorded as OTL.
Nell later finished 28th in the men’s 3km Knockout Sprint in 17:28.70, finishing 2:15.60 behind the winner.
Riley Jacob Bergh, 15, competed in the men’s 5km event for the 14–15 age group but was recorded as OTL.
Argentina’s long-standing open-water swimming tradition provided the backdrop for the championships, with the country having previously hosted 34 World Aquatics events, including Open Water Swimming World Cup meets and Ultramarathon Swim Series competitions.
The championships formed part of World Aquatics’ junior open-water programme, providing young swimmers with international competition experience across several distances and formats.
Photo: Namibia Aquatic Sports Federation
