16-year-old Namutebi chases national record amidst ‘pressure’

Swimmer Kirabo Namutebi is in action today at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the women’s 50m freestyle with an aim of lowering the national record.

The record sits at an impressive 26.98 that she made at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest to erase the 27.43 that double Olympian Jamila Lunkuse made at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Scotland. Namutebi’s remarkable performance, however, was not even in Budapest but at the Africa Junior Championships in Tunisia, where she became the winner of Uganda’s first two gold medals; in 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle (27.33).

That medal, however, has been the cause of frenzy – some of it unnecessary – at home, where some in the media and social media have already written their expectations of her challenging for medals at the Olympics.
 
Rated youngster
Writings that they could later, after the race, use as the stick to beat her when reality check in. The 16-year-old has light years ahead of her to even challenge for a semi-final berth, where the entrants usually manage a sub-25 but Namutebi’s coach Muzafaru Muwanguzi is tipping her to out-do herself.

“She is pumped up and I am optimistic of a good show,” Muwanguzi said of the swimmer, whose last 50m free splash produced a promising 27.04 at the Golden Orlando meet in Croatia to ensure she has the country’s best three times in the race.  “I know that the media tries to drive these young kids crazy and sometimes they can be naïve but there is nothing to worry about. 

Have fun
“From a technical point of view, you all need to be realistic and then you will have fun,” he added.  Namutebi is swimming in lane eight of heat six (out of 11) and will have Kenya’s Emily Muteti in lane six for a rival.

Muteti, 23 and a swimmer at USA’s Grand Canyon University, went to the World Championships in South Korea in 2019, and posted 26.81 which she later followed up with 26.72 at the All-Africa Games. This race is also Uganda’s last  participation in all other sports, bar athletics – where medals are expected – and Namutebi will dive off in exactly 56 minutes before the trio of Joshua Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo and Stephen Kissa take on the 10,000m athletics final in search of the country’s first gold. 

The 16-year-old, Namutebi, at least has the ‘honour’ of passing on the baton from Uganda’s participating sports to the country’s medal hunters.  

PROFILE
Full Names: Kirabo Namutebi
Date of Birth: Feb 8, 2005
Age: 16
Olympics Appearance: 1st
Discipline: Swimming
Event: Women’s 50m Freestyle
Date: July 30 (Heats)
Personal Best: 26.98
Major Event(s): 2019 World Junior Championships, 2019 Cana Junior Championships