At just 10 years old, Aya Ofleh Adams has made the growth of Somali swimming her life’s purpose.
Aya became the first and only swimmer to represent Somalia at the Africa Aquatics Zone III Swimming Championships during the 10th edition held between October 16 and19 at Kasarani Aquatic Centre, Nairobi.
“I feel great having completed the competition and I hope I can be an example to many Somali kids and hopefully have many of them involved in swimming in the future,” Aya shares in the aftermath of competition in Kasarani, where she actually turned 10 on the final day of the gala.
It has been a trailblazing year for Somalia as they also got their first ever representative at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships, in 15 year old.
Mustafa Hashim, during this year’s edition in Singapore. But Aya is of particular interest here because she trained and bred in Uganda.
“I love water and I find it peaceful,” Aya explains how she picked up her passion.
“I try to play basketball too but I love swimming more. I discovered it by watching it on television and decided I wanted to be at the Olympics one day,” Aya adds.
Her talent first came to the fore when she was at Hertz Swim Club in Wakiso and became even more apparent when she joined Aqua Akii in Ntinda last year. Her Olympics dream, we can say started at Kasarani.
Aya competed in the 12 and Under girls’ 200m (3:11.36), 100m (1:28.97), and 50m (38.45) backstroke, the 100m (1:53.71) and 50m (50.27) breaststroke, the 100m (1:31.05) and 50m (35.52) butterfly, the 200m (2:57.90), 100m (1:20.78), and 50m (33.95) freestyle, plus the 200m individual medley (3:24.15) – finishing 7th in all of them and amassing 133 points for her country to also finish 7th ahead of Nigeria and Eritrea.
In Uganda where she competes at domestic level, Aya was named best female swimmer in the 10 and Under age group during the third edition of the Ugansa Aquatics National League and was ranked third in the same age group in the National Championships.
“The competition here (in Kasarani) has been tough but I am still growing. However, I am happy with how things are going back in Uganda. I put in the work and I am winning,” Aya says.
Supportive mother
Aya, who works under coach Abel Ddamulira at Aqua Akii, also has her mother Mackeinze Adams always by her side. Mackeinze, who also played basketball and American football in her heydays, played the coach’s role at Kasarani.
“We get a lot of support from Ugandan coaches but I am always going to be by her side offering the mental coaching and technique correcting. It is easy for me because I was an athlete too and that is where I drive my passion,” Mackeinze shares.
For Mackeinze, a driven child like Aya makes their mutual goals easier.
“Aya never stops. I asked if she was sure she wanted to swim in this competition and do all those races. She told me that even if she was Lane 1 of Heat 1 she would swim. She asked me, ‘What can go wrong?’
“She feels me with pride. My father was a very proud Somali and gave her his name Ofleh. May he continue to rest but also celebrate on the other side,” Mackeinze reveals.
It could have been easier for Aya to pick Uganda too but she chose the path less traveled.
“It could have been easier to change nationality but sometimes, the harder path is better. Ugandan swimming is well established but there are so many Ugandans pushing to swim for their country.
“Aya is a Somali national and will represent her country so Somali kids can realize they can also represent their country. We feel honoured that we have the chance to build something. The Somali Aquatics federation exists but it is not in the best shape now. It is therefore incumbent upon all of us who grew up there (in Somalia) to push things the right way,” Mackeinze explains.
At a glance
Name: Aya Ofleh Adams
Sport: Swimming
Nation: Somalia
Age: 10
Club: Aqua Akii
Major events: 2025 Africa Aquatics Zone III Championships