Kukundakwe’s first coach wants more para-swimmers at Paris 2024

Collins Matovu, the coach who taught Husnah Kukundakwe the basics of para-swimming, when she was in lower primary school, is happy with her performance at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and strongly hopes Uganda can send more swimmers to the Paris 2024 Games. Kukundakwe, 14, was the youngest para-athlete in Tokyo and honestly, winning a medal was not her cardinal goal. She finished sixth in the women’s SB8 100m breaststroke heats, which was not good enough to make the final, but she is happy to score a new personal-best of 1:34.35 minutes, which motivates her to work even harder for Paris 2024.
Good show
“Being a first-timer she really performed well,” said Matovu, who coached Kukundakwe for about five years, before the swimmer joined Dolphins Swim Club in 2018.
Kukundakwe was also Uganda’s first para-swimmer at the Games in 20 years since Prossy Tusabe competed in the women’s S10 100m freestyle at the Sydney 2000 Games. 

“Meanwhile, we are working hard to ensure we send more swimmers to Paris (2024),” Matovu told us via the phone.  
 Kukundakwe, who was born without her right forearm, and also has an impairment to her left fingers, told the international media that she hopes her Paralympic appearance will convince African societies to give children with disabilities a chance to play sports.
But Kukundakwe knows that in Uganda this change is already happening, though slowly.
At the National Paralympic Games in Mbarara 2018, for instance, Kukundakwe beat a pool of para-swimmers, some old enough to be her father. But at the 2019 edition in Mpigi, she met four others, who are younger than her.
Budding talents
They were Precious Nankunda, now 12, Hermione Kyeserwa, 11, Rodney Ainomugisha, 12 and Adel Ndusa, 10. Actually, Nankunda, had in March 2019 won relays bronze for Sir Apollo Kaggwa Primary School at the Midland Schools event.
“I enjoyed this event and I’m happy for these young para-swimmers. It means in future international events I will no longer be alone,” Kukundakwe said at Lidalex Hotel poolside then.
Interestingly, the two girls and two boys are trained by Matovu, Kukundakwe’s pioneer coach, at Malta Swim Club.
Matovu believes if these and probably three more para-swimmers under his watch, get the right support, in time, they have immense potential to join Kukundakwe not only to big international events, but also to Paris 2024.
“First, they must be internationally classified and taking them to such events needs huge finances, which we cannot raise ourselves. But we are courting the Uganda Swimming Federation and the National Council of Sports for help,” he said.