Africa-Press – Uganda. In 2015, Kirabo Namutebi went to her first Cana Zone IV Championship as a 10 year old.It did not make a lot of sense then because she was younger and smaller swimming in the 12 and under age group. But it set the foundation for her future. By 2017 in Zimbabwe, now swimming as one of the older swimmers in the age group, she was dominant, breaking personal bests and returned home as a medallist with two silvers and three bronze medals.
Namutebi has not looked back since. At her last outing and 5th Zone IV appearance in Gaborone, Botswana she literally carried the weight of Team Uganda by winning silver in the 50m breaststroke (34.40) and two bronze medals in the 50m butterfly (29.97) and backstroke (32.27) before adding two gold medals in the girls’ 15-16 years 100m (1:00.45) and 50m freestyle (27.07).
Her 50m free times for the last two editions were in the top three if you included even girls from the top age groups.Sandwiched between them in a 26.90 national record posted at the World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary in 2019 and two Africa Junior gold medals won in Tunisia.This gradual but significant improvement is why Uganda Swimming Federation (USF) have cracked a code by selecting her for the Olympics as soon as she became eligible.
Covid-19 ‘blessing’
Had the Tokyo 2020 Olympics happened last year, Namutebi – as a 15 year old – would have been ineligible despite having the national record in the 50m freestyle (26.90) – an event that is usually the only one available to swimmers on wild cards.
Even this year, her chances were only increased by world body Fina’s late decision to allow countries consider swimmers who went to Budapest when selecting their candidates for universality slots. Originally only those that go to the senior worlds are considered when Fina is filling up its Olympics quotas.Had this not happened, USF would instead have gone for either Avice Meya, who replaced Jamila Lunkuse from 2016 as the go to girl for senior girls’ events, or Selina Katumba, who also went to the World Championships in Gwangju – South Korea in 2019.
Before Namutebi was selected, Meya presented an emotional case for USF as she has been to every championship, including the World Islamic Games and World University Games, bar the Olympics.Sources close to the selection process explained to Daily Monitor that; “there were two opinions.The first was that the Olympics should be the pinnacle of anyone’s career and that younger athletes should bide their time.”
This school of thought seemed to favour Meya more – for her sacrifice for the sport at a time when it lacked senior female swimmers willing to put their hand up. Also for a country that is not about to change the dynamics of competitiveness in Olympic swimming, using the wild card as a reward was a view that seemed hold some water.However, Uganda has for some time wanted to change it’s swimming journey and start qualifying its own athletes on merit for international engagements and that is why there was a counter argument that “selection should be purely on merit.”
This view favours the selection of Namutebi. Age is also on her side as at 16, one may believe that if she keeps around like 26-year old Meya or Aya Nakitanda who went to Beijing 2008 at 24, then maybe Namutebi has another two or three more editions to look forward to. At her level of improvement and with the available scholarships like the one that has seen her secure a year of training in Kazan – Russia, she can change Uganda swimming’s story significantly.
Namutebi, however, needs to be protected against the burn out that pushed Lunkuse out of the sport at just 19 – four years after her first Olympics at London 2012.“I don’t worry about Kirabo because her background is solid. I think she will stick around and will be inspired if we continue to expose her to better facilities,” USF president Moses Mwase, told us. Only time can tell.
