Kukundakwe to the joy of two at para-swimming series
The dream. Kukundakwe has lived up to her words of winning international swimming medal which she shows off (inset). PHOTO/FILE & COURTESY
What you need to know:
On the day two, the swimmer seemed to heed to the call and built on her first day achievements to win bronze in the SB8 class 100m breaststroke
Husnah Kukundakwe promised to soon deliver an international medal and she is now a delightful owner of two from the March 11-13 World Para-swimming Series held in Lignano Italy.
On day one, swimming in the 100m freestyle and off her 1:24.24 (one minute, 24 seconds and 24 microseconds) entry time recorded from the World Series in Sheffield last year, Kukundakwe clocked 1:18.59 to qualify for the finals and earn 541 points towards her qualification for the June 12-18 World Championships in Madeira, Portugal.
In the final, she managed to rank 10th overall in her S9 class with a time of 1:22.59.
Kukundakwe, according to her mother and manager Hashima Batamuriza, battled fatigue in her final as it was a first time experience.
“But her coach (Muzafaru Muwanguzi) has been telling her that elite swimming is about heats and finals so she needs to embrace the challenge and prepare mentally for it going forward,” Batamuriza said.
On the day two, the swimmer seemed to heed to the call and built on her first day achievements to win bronze in the SB8 class 100m breaststroke.
Her entry time from the Paralympics was 1:34.35 but she managed a new personal best (PB) of 1:31.70 in the heats to qualify for the finals, where the 14-year-old won bronze in her age group (12-18 years) with a new PB of 1:29.99 to collect 802 points.
On the same day, the S9 swimmer attempted the 100m backstroke which she last swam at the World Series in Singapore in 2019.
Peculiar system
Para-swimming is peculiar in a way that when you take more than a year without a participating in an event, you are not seeded with an entry time but the lowest qualification time.
So rather than consider the 1:52.80 done in Singapore, she was entered at 3:20.00, meaning that she missed the fastest heats. She, however, clocked 1:38.00.
In the 50m freestyle, she moved from an entry time of 38.40 seconds to 35.37 in the heats and later a 35.33 PB in the finals that earned her 589 points.
On Sunday, she climaxed her outing with another bronze in the S9 100m fly. Also starting at the 3:20.00 general qualifying time, she clocked 1:41.00 to make the finals.
In the finals, she dipped the time lower to 1:37.77 for her second medal in Italy.
“We are very delighted because in the past, we didn’t even qualify for the finals,” Batamuriza said.
“Qualifying for the finals in itself is a mark of progress and the medals are a huge bonus. Now we await the international rankings updates to know which events we will do at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games in late August.”
World Para-Swimming Series
KUKUNDAKWE’S PERFORMANCE
Day One
100m Freestyle
1:18.59 (heats), 1:22:59 (finals)
*Finished 10th overall and got 541 points
Day Two
100m Breaststroke
1:31.70 (heats), 1:29.99 (finals)
*Won bronze and got 802 points
100m Backstroke
1:38.00 (heats)
50m Freestyle
35.37 (heats), 35.33 (finals)
*Earned 589 points
Day Three
100m butterfly
1:41.00 (heats), 1:37.77 (finals)
*Won bronze
