Our Lady of Fatima shines at the National Aquatics Festival Gala
KwaZulu-Natal’s Our Lady of Fatima grabbed the girls’ swimming headlines on the weekend by claiming first place at the National Aquatics Festival Gala in East London.
The annual event, which pits the best swimming and water polo schools in the country against each other, was hosted by Clarendon High School for Girls at the Harrison Aquatic Centre.
While many eyes were focussed on the water polo competition, swimming enthusiasts were also treated to a feast with exciting lineups and battles taking place in the pool.
Our Lady of Fatima dominated both the junior and senior heats to end the festival with a combined 397 points.
Behind them, in an eye-catching battle for second place, Oranje Meisieskool pipped Clarendon by a single point and St Mary’s Waverley by three, scoring 337 to Clarendon’s 336, and 334 for St Mary’s.
Durban Girls’ College completed the top five, with 314 points, well clear of sixth-placed St Stithians, who finished 49 points adrift, on 265. Their results included four bronze and two silver medals.
Eunice placed eighth, with 230 points, which was, by their standards, an unusually low result.
Collegiate, in ninth, with 196 points, and St Mary’s DSG Kloof, in tenth, with 180 points, completed the standings. The KZN school’s best performance came in the u19 4x50m relay, which brought them a silver medal.
Our Lady of Fatima, for the north of Durban, racked up most of their points in the u14 and u19 4x50m backstroke relays before their teams also claimed maximum points from the 4x50m medley relay with dominant performances.
In total, they won a whopping eight gold medals, four silver medals, and five bronze.
2025 National Aquatics Festival Results
1 Our Lady of Fatima 397
2 Oranje 337
3 Clarendon 336
4 St Mary’s Waverley 334
5 Durban Girls’ College 314
6 Rhenish 265
7 St Stithians College 264
8 Eunice 230
9 Collegiate 196
10 St Mary’s DSG Kloof 180
