Callan Lötter mastered the rough conditions perfectly and made her move early to dominate the elite women’s race and be crowned champion of the aQuellé Midmar Mile for the first time in KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday, 8 February 2026.
Lötter was already well out in front by the 400m mark, and continued to stretch the gap to the chasing pack. By halfway, the 19-year-old was 12 seconds in front, and she had extended that lead to 19 seconds by the final marker at 1200m. She eventually reached the finish in 19 minutes 51 with the battle for second and third heating up behind her.
It was 2022 champion Stephanie Houtman who secured second spot in 20:02 with fellow Pretoria swimmer Carli Antonopoulos third in 20:07. The trio were over a minute clear of the next swimmers.
“My plan was to go out comfortable and see where the rest of the people were, and if they went out fast, I would try and stay with them. And then my plan was only to start building from 400m onwards,” said Lötter afterwards.
“It feels really good. It just shows that my training has been working and I’m really happy with how I performed today,” she added, paying tribute to her coach, Troyden Prinsloo.
“Troy has helped me a lot and given me the confidence and made me enjoy the sport again.”
2026 aQuellé Midmar Mile Champion, Callan Lötter
Alani Ferreira may have lost count of how many times she has won the disabled race at the aQuellé Midmar Mile, but the three-time Paralympian in action on Saturday was no less thrilled to cross the finish line first once again in her visually impaired category, clocking 21 minutes 55 seconds.
It’s been a busy few days for Ferreira, who completed the eight-mile Charity Challenge on Friday to raise funds for the National Council of & for Persons with Disabilities.
“The last 100, 200 metres, I definitely felt the lactic acid building up. But luckily I had a brilliant guide who kept me going the whole way,” she said of her guide swimmer, Patrick Lamb.
As for what the race means to people living with disabilities, Ferreira, who was diagnosed with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy at the age of 12, explained:
“This is a symbol of empowerment.”
2026 Midmar Mile Visually Impaired Category Champion, Alani Ferreira
“It shows people that no matter who you are, where you come from, what you have or don’t have, you can do incredible things,” said Ferreira. “And I honestly think Midmar Mile is one of the most incredible events because it shows people that no matter what, you can always come and swim.”
Keeping up her winning form was 1997 winner Robyn Minogue (née Bradley), who had returned to the aQuellé Midmar Mile for the first time since that victory, and finished fourth in her age category.
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“It’s a phenomenal swim – just the organisation and how it’s put together. It’s just incredible,” she said of being back at Midmar after living in Australia for the last 30 years.
Making the weekend even more special was vet swimmer, Jill “Quix” Quicke, who enjoyed a few strokes of butterfly on the way to finishing her 50th Midmar Mile.
“It was such a beautiful swim… and just so nice to finish with my sister, and all my mates who’d come down from Joburg and from other parts of the country were there cheering me on, it was really cool,” she said afterwards.
Leading Elite Women’s Results at the 2026 aQuellé Midmar Mile on Sunday 8 February 2026
1. Callan Lötter – 19:51
2. Stephanie Houtman – 20:02
3. Carli Antonopoulos – 20:07
4. Kirsty Andraos – 21:12
5. Kiara Banks – 21:14
6. Sasha-Lee Hemmens – 21:15
7. Zuria Venter – 21:15
8. Samantha Randle – 21:42
9. Megan Shepherd – 21:47
10. Leah Markgraaff – 21:51
Original Copy: Karien Jonckheere, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Callan Lötter mastered the rough conditions perfectly and made her move early to dominate the elite women’s race and be crowned champion of the aQuellé Midmar Mile for the first time in KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday, 8 February 2026. Photo: Supplied
Photo 2 Caption: Alani Ferreira worked hard to top the Visually Impaired category in Saturday action, she was less thrilled to cross the finish line first once again.
Photo 3 Caption: Celebrating her 50th Midmar with a couple of strokes of butterfly, Jill “Quix” Quicke thanked her niece Derryn Millward (left) and sister Mary Millward (right) and friends for making the day special.
