Swimming: Battle for individual medals intensifies on Day Two

Jaguar’s Ashton Regina Suubi, 12, showed she is firmly following in the steps of her older sister Peyton, 14, during the second day of the Uganda Aquatics National Swimming Championships held at Kampala Parents School, Naguru on Thursday.

Ashton dominated the 11-12 girls in the 200m butterfly (2:55.37) while for the boys, Elijah Ayesiga of Torpedoes, left it late to clock 2:56.17 and finish ahead of Dolphins’ Malachi Ssali (2:59.25).

Peyton, on the other hand, clocked 2:35.91 to edge Gliders Tyrah Muganzi (2:38.14) and her Jaguar teammate Zara Mbanga (2:39.28) for her first gold in the 13-14 girls’ age group. The battle of medals is hot as they determine the best individual performers per age group.

Black Panthers’ Benjamin Ssali (2:32.02) out-touched Aqua Akii’s Elijah Mukisa (2:32.07) for the 13-14 boys’ gold.

In the 15-16 girls’ age group, Gators’ Tara Kisawuzi and Aquatic Academy’s Rahmah Nakasule played a cat and mouse game for about 175m but the former got away at the start of the last 25m to win gold with a time of 2:39.45 as compared to the former’s 2:41.24.

Interestingly in the boys’ age group, Gators’ Ethani Ssengooba charged early and led the grid by nearly 10m at the end of the first 50m. But his main competition in Heer Usadadiya, from Aqua Akii, and Isaiah Kuc of Silverfin Academy, kept to their pacing strategy.

Eventually, they struck at about the 150m mark when Ssengooba (2:26.06) had become exhausted. Usadadiya won the race in a time of 2:18.70 while Kuc followed in 2:19.52.

The 17 and over girls sent just three representatives in a race that was won by Deshpande Khyati (2:58.94) of Aqua Akii. The boys had two heats but Aquatic Academy’s Akram Lubega (2:21.01) was firm favourite and he showed why as he edged Dolphins' Pendo Kaumi (2:23.79).

50m backstroke

In the 10 and under girls’ backstroke, Aqua Akii’s nine year old Adams Aya was agonizingly disqualified for her turn but her prowess in the stroke was evident. She lost the gold to Otters’ Valeria Nassozi (38.65) while Sailfish’s Denorah Natabi (39.20) marginally beat Ozprey’s Gianna Opolot (39.21) to silver.

For the junior boys, Ashley Kimuli (39.37) edged Gators’ Arthur Rugaba (39.82) for gold while his Jaguar’s teammate Austin Wanyama (40.84) got bronze – 12 microseconds ahead of Ozpreys’ Geremiah Opolot.

Otters’ Nisha Pearl Najjuma (34.07) and Silverfin’s Kristian Bwisho (32.99) picked their third gold medals of the Nationals in the 11-12 girls’ and boys’ 50m backstroke events respectively.

Mbanga also picked her third gold by clocking 32.78 in the 13-14 girls’ 50m backstroke ahead of Peyton (33.61) and Sailfish’s Karen Mwangi (33.72).

Gators Abdul Hakim Seck and Torpedoes Jonathan Kaweesa will continue to go at each other in the 13-14 boys’ age group but the former edged the 50m backstroke in 29.22 for his second gold in two days. Kaweesa clocked 30.02 for silver.

Kisawuzi lost two gold medals on Day One but picked two back-to-back on Day 2. The second also came by edging Nakasule (32.84) – this time in the 50m backstroke with a time of 31.73.

Peterson Inhensiko also collected his second gold with a 28.65 to edge teammate Ssengooba (29.32) and Usadadiya (29.74).

For the 17 and over girls, Sailfish’s Avice Meya made it two gold medals in backstroke events as her 32.24 got her ahead of Gators’ Swagiah Mubiru (32.74).

Meanwhile Dolphins’ Tendo Kaumi clocked 26.69 to set a new 50m backstroke national record. But we were denied a race-off between the Hungary-based swimmers as Tendo Mukalazi swam in the penultimate heat. Mukalazi still managed to get silver with a personal best 27.39 ahead of Sailfish duo Joshua Kaganda (28.48) and Mathew Mwase (28.87).

200m breaststroke

The national records continued in the senior boys’ 200m breaststroke with Silverfin’s Namanya Ampaire, 21, clocking 2:33.02 to lower Daniel Rukundo’s 2:33.34 from the Uganda Aquatics League II in March.

Gators’ Rukundo, 16, clocked 2:33.78 in the 15-16 boys age group on Thursday at KPS but that feat is still among the top three times seen in the event in this country.

For the senior girls, Charlotte Sanford’s 2:57.02 was dominant enough while for the 15-16 girls, Nakasule barely needed to break sweat as she clocked 3:10.73 for gold.

In the 13-14 age group, Peyton (2:47.48) showed she is distance queen by beating Mbanga (2:47.97) in the 200m breast for the second time this year. For the boys, Kaweesa kept out as Seck matched to gold in 2:51.03 ahead of Aqua Akii’s Elijah Mukisa (2:53.72) and Dolphins Jeremiah Magera (2:54.57).

For the 11-12 boys, Ayesiga doubled his gold with a 3:01.27 but was followed by the Silverfin quartet of Jeremiah Ssempijja 3:03.72), Bwisho (3:03.78), Ibrahim Lule (3:05.14) and Samuel Kakuru (3:05.87) while a 3:06.93 earned Najjuma her fourth gold among the girls.

Relays

The team events also got underway with the mixed 4x50m medley relay, where Silverfin were again dominant in the 10 and under, winning it in 2:33.79 ahead of Dolphins and Aqua Akii.

Dolphins edged the 11-12 in a time of 2:21.91 ahead of Gators and Jaguar. Gators (2:10.02) marginally beat Altona (2:10.17) to gold in the 13-14s relay while Dolphins came third.

In the 15-16 age group, Gators prowess was unmatched as their 2:00.56 edged Silverfin and Dolphins by over 11 and 14 seconds respectively.

The 17 and over mixed medley relay was equally entertaining. Aqua Akii called on Kirabo Namutebi and Carlton Musenze to combine with Mukalazi and Khyati as they clocked 2:01.43 and edge Sailfish’s lineup of Meya, Sanford, Kaganda, and Mwase by 41 microseconds.

“They were two well stacked teams and it had to come down to just microseconds,” Kaganda said in the aftermath.