Para-swimmer Kukundakwe qualifies for Worlds in Manchester

Husnah Kukundakwe is a shoo-in for the July 27 to August 6 World Para-Swimming Championships in Manchester, England.

This comes off the background of an impressive show in the just concluded World Series in Sheffield, where she had gone to review her classification and attempt to make qualification for international events on merit a habit.

The swimmer who turns 16 on Saturday was born without a lower right hand while the left hand has three complete fingers but she has since 2018 competed in the S9 class, where some of her colleagues had a physical advantage.

She was on Wednesday last week re-classified as an S8 swimmer and will have her next review in 2026. 

When the competition started proper on Thursday, Kukundakwe had a slow start in the 100m freestyle where her personal best (PB) time is one minute, 18 seconds and 59 microseconds (1:18.59)
. After struggling at the turn, she posted 1:25.04.

Worlds and finals 

But she quickly put that disappointment behind her by beating both her 3:24.34 seed time and Manchester's minimum entry time (MET) 3:18.92 in the 200m individual medley (IM) with an impressive 3:12.91.

On Friday, she posted 1:34.24 in 100m backstroke, a marked improvement from her 1:38.60 seed time before swimming in three finals.

In 50m back, she went from her 50.58 seconds seed time to 45.07 in the heats and then 44.56 in the final, where she was the only S8 swimmer.

In 50m breast, the Gators swimmer, Kukundakwe chopped time from 54.15 to 41.79 in the heats and then to 41.39 in the finals.

In 100m breast, Kukundakwe did not cut time from her 1:29.66 PB but her 1:31.00 and 1:30:50 in the heats and finals respectively were still lower than Manchester's 1:34.84 MET.

On Saturday, she made another final in 50m butterfly clocking 40.36 after 41.18 in the heats.

Then on Sunday, she was off her 35.33 seed time when she stopped the 50m free clock at 35.52 but bowed out of Sheffield strong with a 1:36.80 in the 100m fly.

That was also better than her 1:41.62 entry time and the 1:46.39 she needed to make it to Manchester in July.

PARA-SWIMMING WORLD SERIES 
SHEFFIELD - RESULTS
S8 class
100m free - 1:25.04
100m back - 1:34.24
100m fly - 1:36.80
50m back - 45.07 (heats), 44.56 (finals)
50m fly - 41.18 (heats), 40.36 (finals)
50m free - 35.52
SB8 class
100m breasts - 1:31.00 (heats), 1:30.50 (finals)
50m breast - 41.79 (heats), 41.39 (finals)
SM8 class
200IM - 3:12.91