Ghana Swim League: Dolphins make history with back-to-back titles
Ghana Dolphins made a big splash at the National Aquatic Centre at Borteyman, storming to a historic second consecutive Ghana Swim League (GSL) title — and this time, it was the swim club’s powerhouse women’s team that did the heavy lifting at the season-ending “Swim of Champions”.
Powered by a spectacular performance from their women’s team, the Dolphins dominated the competition with a huge collection of 38 gold, 22 silver and 11 bronze medals — amassing an overall total of 361 points to retain the trophy they won last season.
They finished over 70 points clear of last season’s runners-up, Marlins, who settled for second place with 289.5 points and third-placed Legon Swimming Club (254 points).
While the Dolphins men’s team placed a modest fourth in their division with 121 points, behind Legon (244), Marlins (214.5) and GH Aquatic Masters (123), their female teammates rose to the occasion in spectacular fashion. The Dolphins women racked up an astonishing 234 points, far ahead of GH Aquatic Masters (111), Marlins (45) and Legon (38), sealing the overall title for their club.
The Dolphins took home a giant trophy and a cash prize of GH¢5,000 for their triumphant title defence. The team’s success marks the first time in the league’s short history that a club has successfully retained the crown.
Marlins, the inaugural champions in 2023, could not quite regain their crown despite a strong medal haul of 69 (26 gold, 22 silver, 21 bronze).
They were rewarded with a GH¢3,000 cash prize. Legon, which dominated the men’s division, finished the season with 65 medals (28 gold, 19 silver, 18 bronze) and received GH¢1,500 for their efforts.
Individual honours
There were also outstanding individual performances. Michael Crabbe-Mann of the Marlins was named Best Male Athlete after racking 90 points from 13 gold and two silver medals.
The 15-year-old shared the spotlight with Ghana Dolphins’ Oduma Agyei, also 15, who impressed with 15 individual gold medals and several relay wins to earn 98 points and the Best Female Athlete award. Both young swimmers received GH¢2,000 each as their prize.
Launched in October 2022, the Ghana Swim League has quickly become the centre of competitive swimming. It offers a platform for male and female swimmers aged eight and above to compete in more than 15 individual and relay events across six meets from October to April.
The top eight swimmers in each age group qualify for the season-ending “Meet of Champions.”
From its humble beginnings with seven clubs and 150 swimmers in Season One, the league has experienced rapid growth, featuring over 450 athletes and 15 clubs from the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Western regions competing this season.
