Bandari and Dolphins (Kampala) clubs topped the men’s and women’s team events at the 2016 National Age Groups, Open and Relays swimming Championships at the Kasarani Aqua Arena yesterday.
The coastal-based Bandari Swim Club garnered 587 points in the men’s category beating Dolphins Club from Kampala to the second place with 397.50. Nyali Primary School completed the podium with 169 points. Coastal-based Aga Khan Academy and Mombasa Aquatics were fourth and fifth respectively.
Visiting Uganda’s Dolphins Swim Club raked in 211 points to win the women’s team trophy. Loreto Convent took silver position with 10 points adrift as Dolphins Club (Mombasa) placed third with 177. Hillcrest International School were locked out of the medal bracket by a meagre three points (174), and Mombasa Aquatics were fifth.
In the individual events, dominated in three categories including girls’ 10-11 year-olds, and in the boys’ 10-11 and 12-13.
Namutebi Kirabo of Dolphins Swim Club Kampala dominated 10-11 years category to bag gold after amassing 35 points. Team-mate, Mubiru Swagia finished second after trailing the winner by a wide margin of 13 points as Makini School Sports Academy’s Joeleen Kuria was third with 12.
Kampala cruised to victory with 25 points, as Clyde Lwanya finished second with 20. Nyali Primary’s Stephen Ndegwa (19) was third. The girls’ 12-13 years was a close contest as Otters Swim Club’s Lusia Ruchiti, Islam Ali Juhaina (Mombasa Aquatics) and Breaburn Arusha’s Naimh Baker finished with 24, 22 and 21 points respectively.
Winning the boys’ 12-13 class with 33 points was Adnan Kabuye. He attributed his win, and that of his club to courage and determination.
“As the saying goes ‘Fortune favours the bold,’ and so today our club’s swimmers were the boldest and we won well,” said Uganda’s Kabuye.
He led Nyali Primary School’s Thomas Tabuka and compatriot Ben Kaganda to the top three positions. Loreto Convent Valley Road’s Hadassah Mumbi won the girls’ 14-15 years with 43 points. Alibhai Jasmeen came in second with 12 and Samira Oberson had nine.
Nobby Obuya of BSC clinched the boys’ 14-15 with 30 points, and he was followed by Muhammad Bilal from Blue Ocean Swim Club with 21 and Abubakar Ridhwan of BSC (20).