USF count positives as second league ends
Chasing the clock. Ethani Ssengooba was dominant at the USF League III. PHOTOS/EDDIE CHICCO
What you need to know:
The league climaxed last weekend at Kampala Parents School, Naguru without, among others, some regulars like Charlotte Sanford, Daniel Rukundo, Deshpande Khyati, and Benjamin Lutaaya, who were selected to represent Uganda at an open water camp in Zanzibar.
Beyond the numbers that are struggling to increase, the Uganda Swimming Federation believes they continue to score highly through the National League.
The competition, which focuses on accumulation of individual points per swimmer, is divided into three events per year with the first and second meets held in March and April respectively at Smil Pool, Bweyogerere.
It can be hard for swimmers below 16 to find the right motivation and discipline to compete in it throughout the year because some have their age groups change at some point in the year. One does not carry over individual points from one age group to another.
The league climaxed last weekend at Kampala Parents School, Naguru without, among others, some regulars like Charlotte Sanford, Daniel Rukundo, Deshpande Khyati, and Benjamin Lutaaya, who were selected to represent Uganda at an open water camp in Zanzibar.
However, USF vice president (technical) Tonnie Kasujja asserted that they are hitting the targets they set out to when they first launched the League last year.
“Records are going down every three months and at times you get two or three swimmers going under the records,” Kasujja said.
“That helps with (national team) selection too because if your first choice swimmer is not available, then you are taking a more than capable replacement.
“We have three races per day in each age group (in the league) so, the swimmers are also trying out events they would usually not do in a high stakes gala,” he added. There are, however, coaches who still use this as an advantage to field swimmers who are incapable of mastering their techniques or keeping up to speed in the heats they are given.
Impressive efforts
The 17 and over boys’ age group swimmers Ian Aziku and Pendo Kaumi agree that the three events per day enhance a more relaxed competition atmosphere. They were, however, disappointed not to win a Shs50,000 prize from coach-cum-commentator Erick Kisero, who had challenged them to swim under 2:20.00 in the 200m individual medley.
Kaumi clocked 2:22.60 while Aziku faded early in the backstroke after trying to pace in the butterfly leg ending up with 2:26.10 but the performance was no surprise as they are both just returning to training since the USF National Championships in June.
New heights. Zara Mbanga has made it a habit to break at least one age group record at every major event.
Gators coach Muzafaru Muwanguzi also believes that having an event to look forward to every three months helps keep his swimmers in check and to set goals.
One of the most impressive swimmers in League III was Muwanguzi’s Ethani Ssengooba, who brought his 100m freestyle and butterfly times to 55.44 seconds and 1:02.38 respectively in the 15-16 boys’ age group. He also took down his 200m individual medley (IM) time to 2:23.91 showing in all races that he just chases the clock and is not interested in if he has competition in the pool or not.
Record breakers
There was also Paloma Kirabo, who brought down her 13-14 girls’ age group’s 200m backstroke record from 2:38.74 made at the Nationals to 2:36.10.
She was joined in breaking records by Jaguar pair Zara Mbanga, who lowered the 11-12 girl’s 100m fly record from the 1:11.47 she made in League III last year to 1:10.57, and Peyton Suubi, who lowered the 200m IM record in the 13-14 girls’ age group from the 2:37.10 made by Kirabo Namutebi in 2018 to 2:35.49.
Neema Nsereko also impressively got on the podium of the 10 and under girls’ 100m fly (1:23.03) from a slower heat.
