By Muthmainah Ishola
Nigeria won 35 medals at the 2026 Africa Zone 2 Swimming Championships in Dakar, Senegal, with the Nigeria Aquatics Federation describing the performance as the country’s best outing at the competition in more than a decade.
Team Nigeria finished the championship with 17 gold, 14 silver and four bronze medals across individual and relay events.
The Nigeria Aquatics Federation congratulated the country’s junior and senior swimmers, as well as the coaches and technical officials, for their performance at the continental zonal competition.
NAqF President, Lekan Fatodu, said the medal haul was a significant achievement for Nigerian swimming and reflected the progress being made in the development of the sport.
“The performance of our swimmers in Dakar is a thing of great pride for Nigeria. Winning 35 medals, including 17 gold medals, is a significant achievement and one that shows the commitment and hard work of our athletes, coaches and the entire technical crew,” Fatodu said.
He also praised the junior swimmers for their performance, saying it encouraged them ahead of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, which will take place in Dakar from October 30 to November 13.
Fatodu said the championship had allowed the federation to assess the progress of its young swimmers while stepping up preparations for future international competitions.
He added that the federation would continue to strengthen its development programmes, improve athletes’ preparation and create more opportunities for Nigerian swimmers to compete at the highest level.
The NAqF president expressed confidence that the performance in Dakar would provide a boost to Nigeria’s preparations for the Youth Olympic Games and other international competitions.
The federation said it remained committed to developing a strong pipeline of swimmers capable of competing successfully at African and global competitions.
