Uganda record best performance in seven Zone IV swimming editions

Uganda national swimming team captain Adnan Kabuye believes they put up their “best performance ever” at the recently concluded Cana Zone IV Championships in Lusaka, Zambia.

The points might not reflect as much as Uganda amassed just 790.5 points to finish 10th in 13-team championship they have been taking part in since Zone III (largely East Africa) and IV (Southern Africa) split after a combined event in 2014 in Kampala.

Uganda’s 26-man competitive swimming team was one of the biggest contingents the federation (USF) has sent out. But it was always going to pale in comparison to the numbers that would represent Zambia and its neighbouring countries for starters.

Zonal competitions are points-based so the more the numbers, the merrier. Without the numbers, Uganda – which competes in Zone IV on invite alongside East African neighbours Kenya and Tanzania – had to seek solace in individual performances.

Some of the best swimmers did not travel due to other commitments and finances while there was shockingly no swimmer in the boys 12-and-under age group and just Tebi Nyanzi, who improved times in all his four events, for the 15-16 years boys’ category.

For the women, Swagiah Mubiru (15-16 years) – also with improvements in her six races – and Kirabo Namutebi (17 and over) were the only ones available in their categories meaning that before even the events started, Uganda had ceded points in those age groups, especially in the relays.

USF is in fix as swimming trips on the continent are usually a preserve of those whose parents can afford to sponsor travel.

Progress in times

Uganda had 101 individual entries in the long course championship - most of them with seed times converted from the short course Cana Zone III Championships held last December in Kampala.

Of those, 76 returned ‘personal bests’ or exceeded expectation.

The girls in the 12-and-under age group; Alexis Akol, Mary Suubi, Zara Mbanga and Paloma Kirabo – who got bronze in the 100m butterfly (1:18.97sec) – bettered their seed times in all of their entries.

Tendo Atia and Isabella Magezi did the same in the 13-14 age group, which also had debutants in Khyati Deshpande and Karimah Katemba, who won 800m (10:52.04sec) silver and 400m (5:11.26sec) bronze.

Uganda had eight boys in this age group; Pendo Kaumi, Mathew Mwase, Barak Otieno, Daniel Nuwagaba, Peterson Inhensiko, Ryan Barungi, Nathan Nsereko and Malcom Nahamya.

Mwase and Inhensiko improved times in all their events too. But the latter also clocked an impressive 27.73 seconds in the age group’s 50m freestyle. Kaumi even bettered that with 26.96 and another 29.35 in 50m butterfly and came within microseconds of making the podium with his 2:33.60sec in the 200m individual medley.

Of the remaining 25 individual, five were disqualifications while Tendo Mukalazi, one of the seven in the boys’ 17-and-over age group, missed his 100m free due to illness.

Through Namutebi, Uganda’s team won three gold medals and it helps that two came from the 50m (26.45) and 100m (59.83) freestyle events that every country would be proud to win, and with a national record (33.29) in the 50m breaststroke.

For the men, nature took its course as Joshua Lumonya turned 17 before the championship. After cracking 23 seconds in the 50m freestyle at the Zone III, it would have been good to see how he compares to the Zone IV swimmers and in a long course pool.

Unfortunately for Lumonya, only two swimmers can represent a country in a race and both Mukalazi and Fadhil Saleh, who returned 24.35 and 24.44 respectively, had better reputations going to Zambia.

Mukalazi improved times in the 50m fly (26.75), which he did with teammate Kabuye (27.46), 50m breast (30.56) beating teammate Ampaire Namanya (33.46) and 50m backstroke (28.37), where he got a silver medal.

Relays

Uganda also improved in the relays but not without disqualifications in the 15-and-over boys’ 4x50m medley relay where an interesting team of Kabuye, Namanya, Mukalazi and Saleh would have loved to see their time.

The 14-and-under swimmers also earned a disqualification for their 4x100m mixed medley relay done by Mwase, Nsereko, Deshpande and Katemba.

But before that both the girls (Atia, Katemba, Paloma and Mbanga) and boys (Mwase, Nsereko, Kaumi, Inhensiko) had finished fifth in their 4x50m medley relays clocking 2:23.22 and 2:08.07, respectively.

They had the same position in the 4x50m freestyle relay where Magezi replaced Mbanga for the girls (2:03.97) and Nahamya replaced Nsereko for the boys (1:52.19) as they tied with South Africa.

The seniors (15 and over) came 7th in their 4x100m mixed medley (4:37.65) with Kabuye, Mubiru, Mukalazi and Namutebi but the men did two interesting freestyle relays.

First the 4x100m free where Saleh, Mukalazi, Kabuye and Paulsen Ssetumba combined for a bronze in a new national record 3:40.84sec – Uganda’s first relays medal at the championship.

And then the 4x50m free where Lumonya replaced Ssetumba to anchor Uganda to 1:37.60sec (under the African record of 1:37.80) but only good enough for 4th place.

By the time Lumonya jumped in, Uganda was actually leading by microseconds but his strong 24.52 seconds split was not enough against Seychelles’ Fred Tyler, Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Rorke and Mozambique’s Mathew Lawrence.

Cana Zone IV Championships

Uganda’s Top Performers

Gold

Kirabo Namutebi (17 and over women’s 50m freestyle, 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle)

Silver

- Kirabo Namutebi (17 and over women’s 50m backstroke)

- Tendo Mukalazi (17 and over men’s 50m backstroke)

- Karimah Katemba (14 and under women’s 800m freestyle)

Bronze

- Karimah Katemba (14 and under women’s 400m freestyle)

- Paloma Kirabo (12 and under women’s 100m butterfly)

- Fadhil Saleh, Tendo Mukalazi, Adnan Kabuye, Paulsen Ssetumba (15 and over men’s 4x100m freestyle relay)

Open Water Swimming

Silver

Adnan Kabuye (men’s 3km)

Masters Swimming

Gold

- Peter Sebanakitta (30 and over men’s 200m freestyle and 100m breaststroke)

- Godfrey Kiiza (30 and over men’s 100m freestyle)

Silver

- Peter Sebanakitta (30 and over men’s 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle)

- Donald Rukare (30 and over men’s 50m butterfly)

- Patience Birungi (30 and over women’s 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle)

Bronze

- Donald Rukare (30 and over men’s 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle

- Godfrey Kiiza (30 and over men’s 50m butterfly)              

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