Gators Swim Club won the Uganda national swimming championship for a record fourth year in a row, the longest winning streak since these competitions were first held 10 years ago.
The club depended on its big number of swimmers – the most by any club at the championship – to collect 4,109 points, nearly 1,000 more than its closest competitor, Dolphins Swim Club. It was a sweet return to Uganda’s top swimming echelon for Silverfin Swim Club after years of rebuilding, with the club finishing third.
The biggest surprise of the championship came from Jaguar Swim Club, who train from the Rockwood Pool Facility in Bweyogerere, after the club finished in an impressive fourth position, beating the fifth-placed Aquatic Academy Kampala by the slimmest of margins of 7.5 points.
It was a commendable performance from the 20 clubs that participated at the 10th edition of these championships, which attracted a record more than 600 swimmers. The championship, held at the Kampala Parents School swimming pool, was a strong indicator of how the sport has grown.
For example, in 2019, the championship was held over two days and a half. This time round, it took five days, and even then, the organisers, the Uganda Aquatics, had to strike off two events to finish the event.
There was a nostalgic return to local swimming by the former captain of Team Uganda, the indomitable Avice Meya, who is based in Taiwan. Meya, 30, who last swam in a Ugandan competition six years ago, bagged two gold medals and two silver medals. She was only outmatched by USA-based and one-time Olympian Kirabo Namutebi, who was also returning home after two years.
On the boys’ side, Tendo Kaumi and Tendo Mukalazi – both based in Hungary – served up a spicy battle in the 50-meter freestyle and backstroke events, with the latter coming on top.
At least 20 new age-group records were recorded at the championship, lower than the more than 30 at last year’s event. Perhaps none of them was as eye-popping as Tendo Kaumi’s, who not only swept the three backstroke events – the 50, 100, and 200 meters – but set new national records.
It was also refreshing to see Akram Lubega, Ampaire Namanya and Swagiah Mubiru, three swimmers that many thought had faded into the horizon, making a strong comeback to the national age group records list.
Lubega made a new top time of 2:21.01 in the 200 meters butterfly for the Boys 17 years and over, Namanya had an impressive 2:33.02 in the Boys 17 years and over 200 meters breast stroke, a new overall national record, while Mubiru put in a strong shift in the 200-meter backstroke, posting an age group record of 2:45.27 for the girls 17 years and over.
From the girl’s side, Zara Mbanga, at 13 years, further lowered her own age-group and overall national record in the 200 meters backstroke to 2:33.61. While her teammate at Jaguar Swim Club, Peyton Suubi, 14, did the same thing in the 200 meters breaststroke in a time of 2:47.48.
Attention now turns to Uganda Aquatics, which will use the results of these championships to select the names that will represent Uganda at the Zone Three championships to be held in Kenya in October, and other international events.