Kisulo, Ndagire shine on Formidables crowning night
Exchange. Women dive in during one of their gender relays. PHOTO/MAKHTUM MUZIRANSA
What you need to know:
Ndagire, who competed in the 35-39 women’s age group 25m breaststroke, had her right hip replaced in a sickle cell-related operation two years ago.
Formidables registered their third Uganda Swimming Federation (USF) National Masters Championship title in five years last Saturday at Elite Swim & Gym, Ntinda.
But the main attractions of the competitions were the returning former national swimmer Arnold Kisulo and para-swimmer Jane Ndagire, who humbled all in showing there was more to sport than just winning.
Ndagire, who competed in the 35-39 women’s age group 25m breaststroke, had her right hip replaced in a sickle cell-related operation two years ago.
“My sister introduced me to Jaja coach (Collins Wasswa Matovu) two years ago and since then swimming has been good for my recovery,” Ndagire shared.
Matovu, who has handled about six para-swimmers, says he fielded her “to continue building her confidence and show how much she has progressed over the years.”
On the other hand, Kisulo, who represented Dolphins and wreaked havoc especially in the relays combining with the indefatigable Yudah Morris Ssekamatte, also inspired many in his own ways.
Despite staying away from the sport for about six years, his stroke and underwater techniques were still a marvel. He wants to keep competing at the Masters but is not convinced about pushing his body more into other competitions.
“It is good to be back but we wait and see how I feel about the entire experience,” the 26 year old, who held national records for years, said.
“(Competing more) would be a good way to motivate others (who also took sabbaticals) to return but we will see,” Kisulo added.
Another high profile presence was Olympian Ganzi, who competed for Formidables. Formidables actually had a host of former competitive swimmers in their ranks but their largely balanced squad across all age groups collected 3,536.5 points.
They were followed by the Kenya Aquatics team which managed 2,779. The podium of the 16th Masters was completed by Dolphins which collected 1,727 to overcome Malta which had 1,077.
Altona, with only eight swimmers, missed out on the podium for the first time with 852 points.
How they finished
Formidables – 3,536.5
Kenya – 2,779
Dolphins – 1,727
Malta – 1,077
Altona – 852
Otters – 699
Gators – 630
Our Savior – 405
Bank of Uganda – 335
Friends of Water – 120
