Jesse Ssengonzi won Uganda’s fourth swimming medal at the 6th edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh on Wednesday.
First he clocked 54.87 in the heats on Tuesday morning with a 26.00 opening split. Then later that night in the semis, he lowered the 53.32 national record he made in August at the World Championships in Singapore to 53.30 with an opening 24.82 split to go for the final as second qualifier behind Uzbekistan’s Eldorbek Usmonov (52.92).
Usmonov marginally won Wednesday’s final in 52.69 seconds. But Ssengonzi (53.45 with an opening 24.72 split) got between Kazakhstan duo Abdilbek Mussin (52.73) and Maxim Skazobtsov (53.57) to take bronze and his first ever senior medal for the country. It was also the first medal won by a male Ugandan swimmer at an international competition.
Ssengonzi had patiently watched teammate Gloria Muzito win gold in the women’s 50m and 100m freestyle events plus silver in the 200m free.
The 23 year old Ssengonzi agonizingly finished 5th in the 50m fly final on Sunday despite clocking a new national record (24.22) in the event. First he clocked 24.83 to finish second in his heat behind Turkey’s Berk Ozkul. Ssengonzi then clocked 24.62 to finish 4th in the race’s second semifinals.
In the final, he lowered his time made at the World Championships in Singapore (24.32) earlier this year as he missed out on a podium position.
Uganda’s team, coached by Tonnie Kasujja, also included Tara Naluwoza Kisawuzi and Tendo Mukalazi.
It is arguably Uganda’s best performance at a swimming competition. Both Muzito and Ssengonzi recorded national records. The quartet was involved in two relay finals.
And Uganda had never won a gold medal, let alone two golds or four overall medals, in conventional swimming at a competition of this magnitude.
Kirabo Namutebi got 50m freestyle silver at 2022 edition in Konya, Turkey. At the time, Husnah Kukundakwe also got para-swimming medals then – finishing top three in all her seven races; two gold medals (SM9 200m IM and SB8 100m breast), three silver (S9’s 400m free, 100m back, and 50m free), and one bronze (S9 100m free).
ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY GAMES
SWIMMING MEDALS
WOMEN – GLORIA MUZITO
Gold: 50m and 100m freestyle
Silver: 200m freestyle
MEN – JESSE SSENGONZI
Bronze: 100m butterfly