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Muzito follows in footsteps of revered swimmers
Muzito swims at the African Games. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Muzito is 21 and a women’s 100m freestyle gold medalist from the Africa Aquatics Championships in Angola earlier this year. A bronze medalist in the 50m free from the same competition and the 100m free at the African Games in Ghana last year.
It would not be hyperbole to claim, Ugandan female swimmers have brought more success to the country than their male counterparts.
All continental medals have come from female swimmers and they have arguably had the better press on the international stage. The men could argue, their races are more competitive but that cannot underplay the success that Kirabo Namutebi – the gift that keeps on giving, Rebecca Ssengonzi – the one that got away, and Gloria Muzito – the prodigal daughter, among others have led Uganda to.
Muzito is 21 and a women’s 100m freestyle gold medalist from the Africa Aquatics Championships in Angola earlier this year. A bronze medalist in the 50m free from the same competition and the 100m free at the African Games in Ghana last year.
She will follow in the path of Namutebi, Jamila Lunkuse, Aya Nakitanda and Supra Singhal as the fifth woman to swim for Uganda at the Olympics. And yet in a way, you can connect her story to all the five.
The links
Singhal competed in the 100m freestyle at Sydney 2000 finishing in 1:08.15. Muzito does the same race, 24 years later, on Tuesday. None of the girls in between has been a fan of the two lane race although the men have had Daniel Mulumba (1984) and Atuhaire Ambale (2020) do it.
Muzito’s two predecessors Lunkuse and Namutebi were carried all through by the same hands that initiated her – the hands of coaches Tonnie Kasujja and Muzafaru Muwanguzi before she left for Sweden in 2013 and returned 10 years later.
Lunkuse and Namutebi were particularly popular because they went to the Olympics as teenagers and also in an era where the sport was a little more popular at home. Lunkuse went to London 2012 at 15 and Rio 2016 at 19 competing in the 50m free and 100m breaststroke respectively.
Namutebi was 16 at Tokyo 2020 but was also a junior continental champion in the 50m free.
Only Nakitanda was slightly more experienced as she was 23 when she competed at Beijing 2008. She was a new born in 1984 when Uganda first sent a swimmer (Mulumba) to the Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.
Namutebi is still active while Lunkuse and Nakitanda serve the Uganda Swimming Federation (USF) in different capacities. Muzito as a student of Sports Management in Florida is probably also destined to contribute to development of talent at home later in her life.
The competition
Muzito competes in the fast Heat 4 with USA’s Torri Huske, who won the women’s 100m butterfly gold on Sunday.
The heat also has Hong Kong’s Bernadette Haughey, Netherlands’ Marrit Steenbergen, China’s Qingfeng Wu, France’s Marie Wattel, Philippines' Kayla Sanchez and Slovenia’s Neza Klancar.
Of interest will be whether she lowers her 56.01 national record (NR) made in Ghana and where she finally ranks against the African competitors Nesrine Medjahed of Algeria in Heat 2 and Heat 1’s Rana Saadeldin from Sudan, Paige van der Westhuizen of Zimbabwe, and Maxine Egner of Botswana.
Ugandan Female Swimmers At the Olympics
2000: Supra Singhal
2008: Aya Nakitanda
2012, 2016: Jamila Lunkuse
2020: Kirabo Namutebi
2024: Gloria Muzito
Paris Olympics
Tuesday at 1.47pm
Muzito – Women’s 100m freestyle
