Uganda swimmers shine at the Africa Aquatics Zone IV Championships

Ugandan swimmers Heer Usadadiya and Kristian Bwisho Mugumya produced energetic displays during the 20th Africa Aquatics Zone IV Swimming and Open Water Championships in Windhoek, Namibia, winning a combined seven medals.

The two swimmers were part of a seven-member team that represented the country at the annual event held at the Olympia Swimming Pool, Sean McBride.

Usadadiya won gold in the 200m backstroke event, silver in the 800m freestyle, and bronze in the 200m butterfly. Bwisho claimed two silvers in the 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle races, as well as bronze in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and backstroke races.

In winning the gold medal, 15-year-old Heer Usadadiya also set a new Africa Aquatics Zone IV age group record in the 200-meter backstroke. His time of 2:14.13 is also a new national record, surpassing Atuhaire Ambala’s 2:17.84 set at the African Games in Ghana earlier this year. He became the third Ugandan to hold an age group record at these championships, joining Kirabo Namutebi in the 50m freestyle (set in 2019 in Windhoek, Namibia, for the Girls 13-14 years age group) and Zara Mbanga in the 200m breaststroke (set last year in Luanda, Angola, for the Girls 11-12 years age group).

Usadadiya clocked 9:08.70 in the 800m race, won by South Africa’s Claudio Domiter in 9:06.68, to claim silver. His 2:22.57 in the 200m butterfly earned him a bronze behind South Africa’s Wessels Guy (2:14.44) and Namibia’s Esterhuizen Lorenzo (2:16.75), who claimed gold and silver respectively.

Usadadiya becomes the second male Ugandan to ever win a gold medal at these championships. The first was Saleh Nabil, who won gold in the 100-meter backstroke for boys aged 13-14 years in 2016 in Mauritius. Nabil won another gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle for boys aged 15-16 years in 2018 in Malawi.

Bwisho, 11, bagged his first silver in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 39.75, finishing between Namibia’s Badenhorst Oelof (38.39) and Mozambique’s Basto Goncalo (40.31), who took gold and bronze respectively. His bronze medals came with personal bests in the 100m breaststroke (1:29.67) and 50m backstroke (36.21).

Other Ugandans who had a chance to test themselves against some of Africa's best swimmers included Benjamin Lutaaya, Elijah Mukisa, Khyati Deshpande, and Joshua Kaganda.

Only three Ugandan girls have ever won a gold medal at these championships: Kirabo Namutebi, Zara Mbanga, and Peyton Suubi. Zara Mbanga holds the record for the most gold medals won at a single championship, with four golds in Luanda, Angola, in 2023. She is also the only Ugandan swimmer to ever win a treble at a single championship, sweeping the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events. Kirabo Namutebi, Zara Mbanga, and Heer Usadadiya are the only Ugandans currently holding age-group records at these championships.