News

ESC Student Crowned Senior Victrix Ludorum at Africa Aquatics

East Surrey College is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of Reza, GEMS student who recently competed in the Africa Aquatics Zone IV Swimming and Open Water Championship 2024. Held in Windhoek, Namibia, from 4^th to 8^th December, the competition brought together swimmers from a total of 13 countries, including South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda.

Reza went out representing her home country, Namibia, achieving an outstanding result of 9 gold, 3 silvers and 1 bronze in pool swimming events, and a further silver in the 5km open water swimming race. Due to her exceptional performance, Reza earned the prestigious Senior Victrix Ludorum Trophy, awarded for overall best performance in the 17-29 age group category within the championship.

Reza on the diving block ready to start the race

Having started swimming at just four months old and competing since the age of eight, she has seamlessly managed to balance her busy training schedule with her studies at East Surrey College. Reza is currently studying our new GEMS course which is designed to help individuals with re-sitting their GCSE exams; GEMs consists of Maths, English, Science, Computer Science and a Project-based qualification.

Reflecting on the competition, she said: “I’ve been swimming for such a long time; I’ve learned how to manage my time quite well. It also helps that College is only 3 times a week and have such supportive teachers who care about us.”

Looking ahead, Reza is preparing for her next competition, the Sussex Spring County Championship, to be held in January 2025.