Cassidy Burgess earns top honours at Africa Junior Championships
Cassidy Burgess earns top honours at Africa Junior Championships
12 May 2026
Matric learner Cassidy Burgess has once again demonstrated her exceptional talent on the international stage, earning the Best Female Swimmer Award at the Africa Junior Swimming Championships in Algeria after delivering a series of outstanding performances across multiple events. Her success comes despite a demanding schedule and academic pressure, further highlighting her resilience and dedication to the sport.
Competing against the continent’s top young swimmers, Cassidy secured multiple medals, including gold in the 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke and 100m backstroke, as well as silver in the 200m backstroke and 100m butterfly.
Her achievement is even more remarkable given her limited preparation time. After competing at the SA Schools Championships from 23 to 27 April 2026, Cassidy had just three days of training before travelling to Algeria.
Despite this, she exceeded both her own expectations and those of her coach. At the same time, she has been balancing the significant academic demands of her matric year, making her accomplishments all the more commendable.
A defining feature of Cassidy’s performance was her ability to remain composed under pressure, particularly during a period of back-to-back competitions. With the support of Jo Mountford from Per4m Mindset, Cassidy followed a personalised mental training programme known as the Red2Blue mindset approach. This helped her strengthen her mental resilience, manage competition stress, maintain focus and enabled her to deliver consistent results throughout the championships.
Her swimming career has taken her to several international competitions and Cassidy says representing South Africa is an honour and a privilege.
Closer to home, Cassidy has been a participant in the SA Schools Championships over several years. Last month, she won the female top performer award. Reflecting on that achievement, Cassidy says she loves representing her school, Herschel Girls’ School, and province with pure passion, determination, commitment and dedication.
Looking ahead, Cassidy hopes to further her swimming career while pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree, with the long-term goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games. While her recent achievements have brought well-deserved recognition, she is encouraged to remain humble and grounded as she continues her journey.
