Skip to main content
12221
Back to International Paralympic Committee homepage Go to Official website of World Para Swimming
Contrast:
High Contrast
Normal Contrast
Enlargement:
Larger Font Size
Default Font Size
Smaller Font Size
Official website of World Para Swimming
    • Home
    • News
    • Events
    • Athletes
    • Results, Rankings & Records
    • Videos
    • Classification
    • Anti Doping
    • Education
    • About
    • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • News
    • Blogs
    • Videos

    London 2019: Husnah Kukundakwe making history

    17.07.2019

    Young Ugandan hopes Worlds can take her closer to Paralympic dream

    A female swimmer in the pool Husnah Kukundakwe, here competing at the Singapore World Series, will represent Uganda at the London 2019 Worlds © • Wong Foo Lam
    By Amp Media | For World Para Swimming
    Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker

    Husnah Kukundakwe used to try so hard not to stand out, that she would wear a sweater even in the heat of the Ugandan summer – just so she had sleeves to hide her arms in.

    These days, she is making waves in the pool and standing out for it.

    “When I started school, I was very shy. I’ll wear a sweater the whole day even if it’s hot, just to make sure I hide my hands. When I started swimming, people started to know me and I began to lose that shyness."

    The 12-year-old – who competed at the World Series in Singapore back in May – is on a mission to reach the pinnacle of her sport, the Paralympics, through the London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships in September.

    Few before her have managed to this feat, since Para swimmers from Africa are a rarity to begin with. There were just four female swimmers at the Rio 2016 edition; out of 593 swimmers who competed then, just 10 hailed from Africa.

    Only one other Para swimmer from Uganda has made the quadrennial Games in the country’s history so far: Prossy Tusabe at the Sydney Games in 2000.

    All this means Kukundakwe has had to train and compete alongside able-bodied swimmers, a challenge that initially caused her self-belief to take a hit.

    “It’s hard. You have to put in more energy than they do in order to stay competitive,” she said. “But I got used to it and somehow it makes it easier to compete in Para swimming. I get more momentum and courage.”

    No more sweaters

    Kukundakwe has come a long way from being that shy little girl who did anything she could to hide the disability she was born with.

    “When I started school, I was very shy. I’ll wear a sweater the whole day even if it’s hot, just to make sure I hide my hands,” she said.

    “When I started swimming, people started to know me and I began to lose that shyness. I lost the sweater, forgot about it and started moving around the compound happy, not shy. Swimming has made me more confident.”

    Still, Kukundakwe and her family continue to struggle with finding the financial support they need to put her on the road to the Paralympics.

    She travelled to Singapore with only her mother, short of the funds needed to have her coach by her side too.

    “I am a parent, she is an athlete. She spends more time training with her coach, not me. It’s unfortunate because we don’t understand anything that is happening [during competition]. It’s very challenging,” said Hashima Batamuriza, Kukundakwe’s mother.

    London in 50 days' time

    Whenever she needs a dose of inspiration, Kukundakwe takes her cue from a famed name in the pool: multiple Olympic champion and world record holder Katie Ledecky.

    The young Ugandan has gone through countless videos of the US swimmer’s races on YouTube.

    “She’s my role model. She started competing when she was very young. She was young and she was breaking records. I get the motivation to continue because I’m also very young and I want to be like Katie Ledecky,” the Ugandan swimmer said.

    Kukundakwe is now targeting the World Championships in London, which kicks off in 50 days from now. It is another step she hopes will take her closer to her Paralympic dream.

    “The only way that I can get [to the Paralympics] is by working harder.”

    This spunky 12-year-old might be young, but she sure has big dreams, and is no longer afraid to stand out for them.

    London 2019 will be the ninth edition of the World Para Swimming Championships, returning to Great Britain for the second time following the 2015 event in Glasgow. You can find tickets here.

    Related News
    London 2019: Experience the extraordinary
    Allianz announced as title sponsor of London 2019
    London 2019: Brazil and Spain announce teams
    London 2019: Aliaksei Talai never stops believing
    New Zealand and USA name 2019 Worlds teams
    World Series: Antoni Ponce dethrones Daniel Dias
    • Tweet
      • print
      • send
    LATEST NEWS
    Nadezhda Fedorova suspended for anti-doping violation 05.08.2019 Nadezhda Fedorova suspended for anti-doping violation
    Nottwil 2019: USA top table as Junior Worlds conclude 05.08.2019 Nottwil 2019: USA top table as Junior Worlds conclude
    Nottwil 2019: Breathless third day 04.08.2019 Nottwil 2019: Breathless third day
    Nottwil 2019: Noah Malone makes his way 03.08.2019 Nottwil 2019: Noah Malone makes his way
    Vote for July’s Athlete of the Month 02.08.2019 Vote for July’s Athlete of the Month
    More news...following the link
    Worldwide Paralympic Partners
    Go to Atos partner page
    Go to Bridgestone partner page
    Go to OttoBock partner page
    Go to Panasonic partner page
    Go to Samsung partner page
    Go to Toyota partner page
    Go to Visa partner page
    International Partners
    Go to Allianz partner page
    Go to BP partner page
    Go to Citi partner page
    • FAQ
    • Privacy
    • Imprint
    • Jobs
    Powered by Go to Atos. Worldwide IPC partner page
    The Paralympic Games
    Summer Games
    Winter Games
    Sochi 2014
    Rio 2016
    All the results & medallist since 1960
    Games video archive
    About the IPC
    Who we are
    Anti-Doping
    Medical
    Partners
    IPC Strategic Plan 2015-2018
    IPC Handbook
    Publications and Documents
    Media Centre
    News
    Features & Interviews
    The Paralympian
    Videos
    Athlete of the Month
    Media Office
    Sports
    Summer Sports
    Winter Sports
    Biographies
    NPCS
    Africa
    America
    Asia
    Europe
    Oceania
    Go to International Paralympic Committee homepage
    Official Website of the Paralympic Movement • IPC
    Homepage
    Paralympic Games
    The IPC
    Results, Ranking & Records
    Media Centre
    Videos
    Sports
    International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
    Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany
    Telephone: +49-228-2097-200 • Fax: +49-228-2097-209 • E-mail: info@paralympic.org
    02:20:55