Mackayla Ssali got Uganda off to a good start on Day Three of the Africa Aquatics Zone III Swimming Championships at Kasarani Stadium Nairobi on Saturday with bronze in the 14 and Under girls’ 400m freestyle.
Mackayla clocked 5:24.78 to finish ahead of teammate Theresa Kikambi (5:27.45) after the Tanzania duo of Crissa Dillip (4:58.87) and Zainab Moosajee (5:14.55) bagged gold and silver.
Jonathan Kaweesa (4:56.21) also finished 3rd in the 14 and Under boys’ 400m free behind Tanzania’s Max Missokia (4:51.43) and Kenya’s Andrew Ogola (4:55.21). Uganda’s second representative Elijah Mukisa (5:12.58) finished 6th.
Then in the 15 and Over girls’ category, Peyton Suubi bagged gold in 4:56.67 while Paloma Kirabo (5:11.11) got bronze behind Kenya’s Victoria Okumu (5:09.78). For the boys, Jordan Munyikwa (4:50.72) and Isaiah Kuc (4:57.80) finished 5th and 7th respectively.
12 and Under
Nisha Pearl Najjuma (33.76) got bronze while Alba Ihunde (34.21) finished 5th in the 12 and Under girls’ 50m butterfly dominated by Tanzanian duo Heydleen Magashi (32.18) and Leyna Borega (32.64).
For the young boys, Kenya’s Don Ndirangu (28.14) and AbdulKadir AbdulKadir (30.51) pushed Elijah Ayesiga (30.58) and Jordan Musoke (31.02) to 3rd and 4th respectively.
Najjuma (2:53.84) finished 2nd in their 200m individual medley (IM) having touched the wall in 6th position at the first butterfly turn. Ashton Regina Suubi (2:55.29) finished 3rd.
For the boys, Ayesiga led from the start to take gold (2:40.62) while Kristian Bwisho (2:48.71) was third – 60 microseconds behind AbdulKadir.
In the 100m freestyle, Jinan Nakato (1:06.06) won gold ahead of Tanzania’s Magashi (1:06.29) while Najjuma (1:16.41) was 6th while for the boys, Ndirangu (1:03.36) struck again despite Kristian Bwisho (1:03.93) trying to live with him. Ayesiga finished 3rd with 1:05.44.
13-14
Tyrah Muganzi (30.21) took the 13-14 girls’ 50m fly quite comfortably as teammate Gabriella Opolot (31.93) was beaten to the podium by the Tanzanian duo of Dillip (31.53) and Nicolene Viljoen (31.78) by microseconds.
Muganzi also showed she was butterfly queen by winning the 14 and Under girls’ 200m fly (2:43.31) to complete a butterfly treble at the competition. Mackayla, who also needed more recovery time after her 100m free, was 4th in the 200m fly (3:05.13).
For the boys’ 50m fly, Jonathan Kaweesa finished 2nd (27.41) – 20 microseconds behind Ogola while Kigundu Ssango (30.58) was 6th.
In the 14 and Under boys’ 200m fly, Benjamin Ssali (2:38.51) took gold. Mukisa (2:43.69) got bronze as Max Missokia (2:41.56) sneaked up on him to eat up a 40m gap and take silver.
Dillip (2:34.62) and Viljoen (2:35.15) topped the girls’ 200 IM while Mbanga (2:39.41), who capitalized on her breaststroke leg, and Muganzi (2:45.55) finished 3rd and 4th respectively. The Tanzania duo struck again in the 100m free, letting Mackayla (1:05.70) and Crystal Ssemanda (1:07.14) finish 3rd and 4th.
Uganda topped the boys’ IM through Kaweesa (2:30.56) and Mukisa (2:34.13). The former also topped the 100m free (58.43) as Benjamin (1:01.26) finished 4th.
15-16
Rahmah Nakasule (30.11) bagged gold in the 15-16 girls’ 50m fly ahead of Tanzanians Filbertha Demello (30.80) and Bridget Heep (31.59).
Peyton was uncharacteristically 4th (31.61) but could have used more time for recovery as this 50m fly came too soon after the taxing 400m free. Kuc got bronze (27.78) while Peterson Inhensiko (28.18) was 5th in the boys’ 50m fly.
Despite starting slow in the butterfly leg, Peyton avenged with gold in the 200m IM (2:41.52) by capitalising on the breaststroke leg. Paloma Kirabo (2:46.53) finished 3rd behind Heep (2:44.85).
Uganda were hit by injury chaos when Daniel Rukundo complained about his shoulder ahead of the boys’ 200m IM but Ethani Ssengooba chased the clock in the first of two heats to put Uganda on the podium in 3rd (2:32.15) behind Kenya’s Neo Olengo (2:25.23) and Sudan’s Ahmed Yacub Adam (2:29.81).
In the girls’ 100m free, Peyton Suubi needed a strong finish to bag silver (1:04.61) microseconds ahead of Kenya’s Isabelle Mwangi (1:04.76), Burundi’s Lois Eliora Irishura (1:04.88), and Ugandan teammate Nakasule (1:05.02) in a race won by Kenya’s Macrine Kalombo (1:02.93).
For the boys, Victor Okech (56.14) bagged 100m free gold cruelly ahead of Ssengooba (56.18), who had led for most of the race, while Kuc (56.97) was close in 3rd.
Peyton put any butterfly doubts at rest as she got the girls’ 200m fly gold (2:52.10) ahead of Nakasule (2:58.53). For the boys, Kuc settled for bronze (2:39.33) while Ssengooba also eased himself to 5th (2:45.66).
17 and Over
Tara Kisawuzi did not have to break sweat in the senior girls’ 50m fly (30.05) but led from start to finish in the 200m IM (2:47.86) and 200m fly (2:57.99). She was also second (1:01.45) behind Kenya’s Duini Caffini (1:01.03) in 100m free.
For the boys, Pendo Kaumi (26.71) brought bronze home in the 50m fly while captain Ampaire Namanya (27.92) finished 6th.
Kaumi, who had just done his 100m free, tried to ease through the 200m fly but sensed blood in the final lap as Tanzania’s Michael Joseph (2:46.84) showed signs of fatigue and went for bronze (2:43.57) behind Tanzania’s Romeo-Mihaly Mwaipasi (2:30.79) and Burundi’s Tony Lilia Uwineza (2:34.82). Malcolm Nahamya was 5th (2:48.17).
Disqualification for Saleem Mohamed Ziyad allowed Nahamya (2:28.13) to top the boys’ 200m IM – seven microseconds ahead of Uwineza – while Kyle Kaweesa took bronze (2:29.57).
Kaumi then got silver in the 100m free (56.07) behind Kenya’s Nathan Matimu (54.75) as Mathew Mwase (56.75) finished 4th behind Mwaipasi (56.33).
Relays
Uganda struck first blood as Mackayla and Crystal combined to keep themselves at the top of the 14 and Under girls’ 4x100m freestyle relay. But despite dropping just over a touch away to second, Kikambi – who faced a faster Kenyan swimmer – did well to live with her and hand the baton over to Mbanga. The latter paced in the first 50m to give herself energy to go all out on the back-end 50m and win gold (4:26.09).
Kenya immediately avenged in the junior boys’ relay (3:59.86). Jonathan, Manuel, and Benjamin kept Uganda at the front but Mukisa could only keep within touching distance of Kenya’s anchor at the turn and was almost half a body length away in the end as Uganda settled for silver (4:01.91).
Another dramatic twist came in the 15 and Over girls’ relay, where Uganda was only competing against Kenya as the host’s other team does not score in this competition.
Kisawuzi handed over to Nakasule with Uganda in second place but Kenya messed up their second exchange as their third swimmer fell into the pool before the second one could complete her 100m. Peyton Suubi realized Kenya had been disqualified and eased through her leg before handing over to Kirabo for an obvious gold (4:25.99).
Kenya (3:44.12) went all out in the senior boys’ relay but to get silver, Uganda (3:54.83), which was represented by Mwase, Nahamya, Munyikwa, and Kaumi, still had work to do against Tanzania (3:59.92).
Masters
Resty Kiwuka bagged yet more gold in the 25-29 women masters’ 50m fly.
In the 30-34 age group, Sandra Arinaitwe got bronze ahead of teammate Belinda Eleanor Illamai. Esther Nadunga also got bronze in the 35-39 group ahead of Linda Namayanja and Rachael Amito.
In the 40-44 group, Abisagi Mugenyi Namugenze got silver as did Patricia Ejalu in the 50-54 one.
Ivan Muhoozi got bronze in the 25-29 men’s 50m fly while Habib Yawe and Benon Ojwiya were 4th and 5th respectively in the 30-34 age group.
Yuda Morris Ssekamatte bagged yet more 35-39 gold while Alex Kateeba followed suit in the 40-44 age group.
Dunstan Rukare bagged bronze in the 45-49 category while his older brother Donald dominated the pool to bag 55-59 gold. In the 60 and Over age group, Peter Ssebanakitta and Charles Obwana finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.