Seidler books Olympic spot

Phillip Seidler, wearing number 78 on his arm, finished in 48th place at the FINA world championship men’s 10 km open water swim in Doha, Qatar yesterday morning.

However, he was the first finisher from an African country and based on the known criteria is therefore expected to have qualified Namibia for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old Seidler achieved the 16th position at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

Yesterday’s world title race was won by Kristof Rasovszky (Hungary), followed by Marc-Antoine Olivier (France, silver) and Hector Pardoe (Great Britain, bronze).

South Africa’s Henre Louw (53rd) was the next African finisher behind Seidler, by a margin of roughly 30 seconds. Ruan Breytenbach (RSA) finished in 58th place.

In reaction, Riaan Steyn, president of the Namibian Aquatic Sports Federation (Nasfed) said: “Great result for Philip Seidler, beating his other African compatriots, clinching the top continental spot for Africa and thereby securing a place in the Olympics at the 10 km race later in the year. We are so proud of him!”