St. Saviour’s, Grange Dominate As Ikoyi Club/Zenith Bank Swimming Gala Unearths New Talents

St. Saviour’s School, Ikoyi and Grange School emerged as the standout performers at the 2026 Ikoyi Club 1938/Zenith Bank Inter-School Swimming Gala, delivering commanding displays as the prestigious competition concluded in Lagos.

The ninth edition of the youth swimming championship attracted more than 200 swimmers from various primary and secondary schools, who converged on the Swimming Section of Ikoyi Club 1938 for a thrilling showcase of talent, determination and sportsmanship.

Widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading grassroots swimming competitions, the gala once again lived up to expectations by providing young athletes with an avenue to test their skills and gain valuable competitive experience.

In the primary school category, St. Saviour’s School, Ikoyi proved unstoppable, amassing an impressive 260.5 points to clinch the overall title.

Grange School finished as runners-up with 173.5 points, while Riverbank School secured third position with 145.5 points. Children International School and Corona Schools completed the top five after recording 126 and 119.5 points respectively.

The secondary school category saw Grange School stamp its authority on proceedings, dominating the competition with a winning total of 271.5 points.

Children International School placed second with 171 points, while British International School finished third on 133.5 points. Greensprings School and James Hope College rounded off the top five with 116 and 81 points respectively.

The event produced several outstanding performances, with many young swimmers recording notable improvements in speed and technique, much to the delight of organisers and spectators.

Speaking after the gala, Vice Chairman and Games Captain of the Swimming Section of Ikoyi Club 1938, Babatunde Pearse, commended the standard of competition and highlighted the encouraging rise in participation.

“The standard has been very encouraging and participation has been fantastic. We had more swimmers than in previous editions and it is exciting to see the level of improvement in performance and timing,” Pearse said.

“While there is always room for growth, the future of swimming development looks very bright.”

Pearse also paid tribute to Zenith Bank for its sustained commitment to youth sports development, describing the partnership as vital to nurturing future champions.

“We sincerely appreciate Zenith Bank for partnering with us and investing in the growth of young talents through this platform. Their support continues to create opportunities for these children to compete, develop and build confidence through sport,” he stated.

“Partnerships like this are essential to nurturing the champions of tomorrow.”

Reaffirming Ikoyi Club’s commitment to grassroots sports development and talent discovery, Pearse stressed the importance of sustaining such initiatives.

“We remain committed to creating more opportunities for these young swimmers because today’s participants are tomorrow’s champions. Through initiatives like this, we hope to continue developing talents and perhaps produce future Olympians.”

The successful staging of the 2026 edition further strengthened the Ikoyi Club/Zenith Bank Inter-School Swimming Gala’s reputation as a premier platform for discovering and developing young swimming talent in Nigeria, while reinforcing the growing momentum behind aquatic sports in the country.