Prime
Aziku: Pressure is a privilege
Compressed time frames. Aziku has made major headway in his swimming career that spans just over seven years since 2017. PHOTO/EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
After Kasarani, Aziku, who had had a brief stint at Dolphins Swim Club in 2018 before crossing to Olympia, struggled to continue his progress as Covid-19 hit and forced a lockdown.
Ian Aziku is braced for his first major swimming event at the Africa Aquatics (AA) Junior Championships due April 30 – May 3 in Cairo, Egypt.
His story is best told from his first call up to the national team for the then Cana (now AA) Zone III Championships in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2019.
“I started swimming around 2017,” Aziku recalls in an interview with Daily Monitor.
“I would go for competitions at Gems (Cambridge International School, Butabika) to just have fun. I had no hope that I would get somewhere sometime in swimming, I just did it for my general body health.
“Then I swam the Nationals (Uganda Swimming Federation Inter Club Championships) in 2019 in my P7. And just a day before PLE (Primary Leaving Examinations), my coach (Simon Bahemuka at his school Greenhill Academy) told me I had qualified for Cana (Nairobi). I didn't even know what Cana was.
“It was during the preparations for that tournament that I first ever experienced proper training. Coach M (Muzafaru Muwanguzi) was head coach and he gave us sets that got me wishing I could swim like everyone else. Training was heavy for me, I could not hold up. It was so bad.
‘Going for the gala, it looked like everyone had given up on me. But then in Kasarani (Stadium, Nairobi), my performance was better than I expected. I clocked (around) 37 seconds in 50m breaststroke and (about) one minute and 24 seconds in 100m breaststrokes. I have those times off my head because they have always been my basis.”
Settling at Dolphins
After Kasarani, Aziku, who had had a brief stint at Dolphins Swim Club in 2018 before crossing to Olympia, struggled to continue his progress as Covid-19 hit and forced a lockdown.
“At Olympia, I was making the same times over and over again. We made a plan to change the environment and even my coach (Bahemuka) told me to try going back to Dolphins (in 2022).
“Fortunately, when I went back, coach Tonnie (Kasujja) was welcoming.” The change paid off as Aziku had a quick change in fortunes.
By 2023, he was evidently one of Dolphins top performers as he challenged for a slot among the top three boys in the 15-16 age group at the Nationals. Last year he was also on the podium for the 2024 Nationals.
“I believe what has helped is the brotherhood we have picked up as the big boys at Dolphins. If someone is lagging behind, you get encouraged to push on by the entire group.
“But of course training is like a competition for us. Even in the warm up, people are going at it. You end up building pace. Unfortunately, not all of us can go for this event (in Cairo) but the whole group is good.”
Major event
Aziku will be joined by teammate Pendo Kaumi, Aqua Akii’s Heer Usadadiya, and Gators Peterson Inhensiko plus female swimmers; Tara Kisawuzi of Gators, Rahma Nakasule of Kampala Aquatic, Charlotte Sanford of Sailfish, and Peyton Suubi of Jaguars.
“Pendo has shared some of his experiences from the Commonwealth (Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023). What I have picked from him is that selection can be a positive thing, but it all depends on how you prepare (for the competition).
“It is my first major event. I am excited but I also love the pressure it comes with. You work hard to get there then you work even harder to stay there.
“I like pressure even though it takes its toll on me sometimes. I want to go to many more major events to come and that is the kind of pressure that will get me out of my comfort zone.
"My schedule also takes a lot from me. I practically have just an evening to rest in my schedule as I am right now focused on fitness and only training breaststroke. I have even reduced time for school, although I have the advantage of school being more flexible.”
Wanting more
Aziku is also fueled by the people who claim he is only good at breaststroke.
“The thing that drives me is that people say all I can do is breaststroke. Maybe they are right but my times in other strokes are not bad. I believe my fly is decent and in future I want to specialize in being an individual medley swimmer.”
Coach Kasujja believes Aziku could have been helped more to learn more strokes at the formative years.
“If you work on only breaststroke, there is a possibility that you will have some muscle imbalances. The ones you are overusing can also get injured and limit your development.
“We have been working to correct that for Ian and he is adapting quickly. But he is still a very strong breaststroker.” And Africa is about to find out.
