Nisha Pearl Najjuma got Uganda rolling at the Africa Aquatics Zone III Swimming Championships at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi with two gold medals on Thursday.
The 12 year old topped her age group’s 200m backstroke in a time of two minutes, 50 seconds and 98 microseconds (2:50.98) and 50m breaststroke in 39.17 seconds.
“Not a bad start,” is all she said in the aftermath of the early Thursday medal ceremony.
Her teammate Gabriella Eleanor Nakimuli clocked 2:57.40 to finish 4th in the backstroke behind Kenya’s Thandiwe Kamanga and Tanzania’s Pearl Carlos.
Alba Ihunde was also 4th in the 50m breaststroke behind Tanzania’s Heydleen Magashi and Kenya’s Aisha Hassan.
In the same age group, Giovanni Cruz Mbanga got the boys’ 200m backstroke (2:46.85) gold with Kristian Bwisho finishing 4th (2:57.80) behind Kenya’s AbdulKadir AbdulKadir and Tanzania’s Amani Kessi.
Bwisho collected 50m breaststroke (37.45) bronze behind silver teammate Elijah Ayesiga (37.03) and Kenyan winner Don Ndirangu.
In the 13-14 age group, Jonathan Kaweesa brought home the boys’ gold in the 200m backstroke (2:33.46) while Jayson Aronda (2:37.61) joined the podium in 3rd behind Tanzania’s Max Missokia.
Kaweesa (34.26) also marginally edged teammate Kigundu Ssango (34.49) to silver in the 50m breaststroke that was won by Kenya’s Baraka Nyakundi (32.90).
Tanzania’s Crissa Dillip denied Zara Mbanga girls’ gold in both the 50m breaststroke and 200m backstroke.
Dillip topped the latter in 2:36.86 as Mbanga finished in 2:42.09 to get silver. Paula Nabukeera was 5th in this race behind Kenyan duo Alma Ngaruiya and Aariana Barchha.
Dillip (36.53) was a second faster than Mbanga (37.55) in the breaststroke but Uganda had more to rejoice about as Mackayla Ssali (38.61) joined the podium.
Bigger fights
In the 15-16 boys’ 200m backstroke, Shaun Murungi (2:24.00) and Daniel Rukundo (2:34.03) finished 1st and 2nd but Uganda had no one on the podium in 50m breaststroke. Rukundo (32.86) and Peterson Inhensiko (33.33) finished behind Kenyan duo Neo Olengo (30.81) and Jeremy Kego (32.52) plus Tanzania’s Austin Okore (32.53).
For the girls, Paloma Kirabo was 3rd in the 200m backstroke (2:47.41) as Kenya’s Ruth Wangari Lindkvist and Tanzania’s Filbertha Demello took gold and silver respectively.
Female captain Peyton Suubi brought Uganda back to the top in the 50m breaststroke (36.39) but Kirabo was a distant ninth.
In the 17 and Over age group, Tara Kisawuzi competed alone in the 200m backstroke then finished second in the 50m breaststroke behind Kenya’s Duini Caffini.
For the senior boys, Pendo Kaumi bagged 200m backstroke bronze (2:28.57) behind Sudan’s Saleem Mohamed Ziyad (2:12.88) and Tanzania’s Romeo-Mihaly Mwaipasi while Malcolm Nahamya (2:39.50) was 5th behind Burundi’s Flack Zacharie Harinzimana.
In the 50m breaststroke Kyle Kaweesa (31.04) and captain Ampaire Namanya (32.08) brought home gold and silver respectively while Burundi’s duo of Nicky Terry Irakoze and Tony Lilia Uwineza were joint 3rd (33.77).
Expanded categories
In the expanded age groups, Dillip still made her presence felt in the 14 and Under girls’ 800m freestyle – winning it in 10.26.69 ahead of Uganda’s Ssali (11:01.11) and Tyrah Muganzi (11:03.62).
In the boys’ group, Missokia (10:04.86), Kenya’s Andrew Ogola (10:24.81), and Rwanda’s Kean Sheja (10:36.90) finished ahead of Uganda’s Elijah Mukisa (10:41.06) while Manuel Ssemanda (11:02.66) was 8th.
For the 15 and Over boys, Uganda’s Jordan Munyikwa (10:33.94) and Isaiah Kuc (10:34.30) finished 4th and 5th respectively. But Suubi showed her prowess across all distances again as she topped the senior girls in 10:08.66. Sonia Mwere was 7th in 11:35.71.
Masters take a dip
For the masters, Aksam Magoola, Phillip Nuwagaba, and Ivan Muhoozi were 5th, 6th, and 7th respectively in their 25-29 men’s 50m breaststroke. Benon Ojwiya and Habib Yawe were 4th and 5th in the 30-34 group.
Yuda Morris Ssekamatte and Henry Kakooza topped the 35-39 and 40-44 men respectively. Dunstan Rukare won the 45-49 men’s silver as Ismail Munaaba finished 5th.
Paul Duke Kaganzi was 4th in the 50-54 age group while Peter Mugisha, Donald Rukare, and Patrick Magezi finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively in the 55-59 age group. Peter Ssebanakitta and Charles Obwana were 1st and 4th in the 60 and Over age group.
For the women, Resty Kiwuka and Michelle Mugisha Ayesiga finished 1st and 3rd in the 25-29 age group respectively. Kezia Wairimu – who is coaching the age group swimmers, Belinda Eleanor Illamai, and Sandra Arinaitwe were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 30-34 age group while Linda Namayanja and Rachael Amito were 3rd and 4th in the 35-39 group as were captain Abisagi Mugenyi Namugenze and Christine Kesende in the 40-44 age group plus Grace Kigundu and Isabella Omara Sigombe in the 45-49 category.
Patricia Ejalu was second in the 50-54 age group.
Raila funeral takes over
Meanwhile, the swimming had to stop in the early afternoon after the Kenyan government changed the venue for the public viewing of deceased leader Raila Odinga’s remains from Nyayo Stadium to Kasarani.
The 100m butterfly and 4x50m medley relays were postponed to Saturday (by press time). But the decision to stop was commendable as it allowed the swimming group to act in solidarity with the mourning country.
It was also a sound decision because just after the swimming delegation had left, Police fired teargas into the mammoth crowd to calm matters.