From April 11 to April 14, four of Aruba’s top swimmers traveled to Santo Domingo to compete in the prestigious Campeonato Nacional Fedona x Dominican Republic International Swim Open 2025—and what a weekend it was!
Athletes Braynsly Dirksz, Ocean Van Loon, Britta Schwengle, and Gavin Kock, accompanied by Coach Ismael Santiesteban, proudly represented Aruba as they chased qualifying times for the upcoming Junior Pan American Games this August. With swimmers from 13 countries participating, this event was a high-level showcase of talent, determination, and international camaraderie.
Day 1: Making Waves from the Start
The team hit the ground running—literally—starting with a focused training session at the competition venue to get acclimated to the pool. Their efforts paid off:
🏅 Braynsly Dirksz clinched 1st place in the 200m breaststroke, smashing his personal best with a time of 2:20.7, dropping 1.14 seconds.
🏅 Britta Schwengle took gold in the 800m freestyle, setting a new personal best of 9:18.9, cutting off an impressive 12.59 seconds!
👏 Gavin Kock delivered a strong swim in the 100m butterfly, placing 4th with a PB of 57.21, improving by 1.37 seconds.
An incredible start—and the best was yet to come.
Day 2: More Records, More Medals
Team Aruba kept the momentum going on Day 2:
🥈 Braynsly Dirksz added to his medal count with a silver in the 50m breaststroke, finishing in 28.77.
🥇 Britta Schwengle secured her second gold, this time in the 400m freestyle, clocking a new PB of 4:31.72.
👏 Gavin Kock posted two more personal bests, finishing 4th in the 50m freestyle (23.84) and 400m IM (4:50.30).
The energy and progress shown by each athlete were nothing short of inspiring.
Final Day: A Golden Finish for Team Aruba
Day 3 wrapped up the meet with a final push—and more podium finishes for our swimmers:
🏅 Britta Schwengle earned her third gold in the 1500m freestyle, and added bronzes in both the 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle.
🏅 Braynsly Dirksz topped the podium again with gold in the 100m breaststroke.
🥇🥈 Ocean van Loon made his mark in the 15/16 age group, capturing gold in the 100m backstroke and silver in the 200m backstroke.
Each athlete showed grit, focus, and pride as they competed at an international level—and improved on nearly all of their personal bests along the way.
Proud Moments & Gratitude
We are incredibly proud of what these swimmers accomplished on the international stage. Competing against strong athletes from across the region, they demonstrated not only skill, but also determination, discipline, and true Aruban spirit.
A huge thank you goes out to Coach Ismael Santiesteban, whose leadership and guidance were instrumental throughout the competition.
Congratulations to Braynsly, Britta, Gavin, Ocean, and Coach Ismael on an unforgettable weekend. You represented Aruba with excellence—we can’t wait to see what’s next on your journey to the Junior Pan American Games!
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