Water role model for Uganda

At just 14 years old, she was the youngest Paralympian at the Tokyo Games.

Now, at age 16, the Ugandan swimmer Husnah Kukundakwe is preparing to push her limits once again this summer at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Born without her right forearm, and with an impairment in her left hand, Kukundakwe is used to smashing stereotypes — starting with her own mother.

She was just 3 years old when she began paddling in a pool at her local kindergarten.

"I would go there, play around, just beat around the water, and I felt good. I love being in the water," she said.

Her mother, however, wasn't so enthusiastic.

"In the beginning my mom wasn't supportive ...because she was worried that I wouldn't be able to swim," Kukundakwe said.

"After realizing that I wasn't going to stop going into the water, she eventually gave in," Kukundakwe said on the sidelines of a training session in a suburb of Uganda's capital Kampala.

She soon won her first contest, aged 9, racing past able-bodied swimmers.

"It opened my mom's eyes, seeing that I could do better," she said, her face lighting up as she recalled the victory.

Her mother, Hashima Patience Batamuriza, who is now her manager, allowed her to stop using flotation vests, paving the way for a journey that has taken Kukundakwe to the Olympics.

The teenager never imagined that she would compete on the global stage, despite spending hours in the water every week.

"It was something I had not looked into, because I didn't know para swimming even existed or ... sports (for) people with disabilities like me," she said.

A trip to Kenya's capital — her first time taking a flight — proved to be a turning point.

Prior to that, the 11-year-old had only practiced alongside able-bodied swimmers.

In Nairobi, she was surrounded by other athletes.

"I started feeling comfortable with myself. If people with disabilities more severe than mine ...(could) feel comfortable and confident, doing what they love most — swimming — why not me?"

'Nerve-racking'

She secured a certificate allowing her to participate in international sporting events, later attending a swimming camp in South Korea and, eventually, competing in the World Para Swimming World Series 2019 in Singapore.

Then came the icing on the cake: qualifying for the Tokyo Games.

But the COVID-19 pandemic threw her preparations into disarray, as Ugandan authorities ordered swimming pools and gyms to close.

She started going jogging with her father, a civil engineer, or her older brothers, and began taking swimming lessons online.

When the Games were finally held in August 2021, she competed in the SB8 100m breaststroke. She failed to make the final, but achieved a personal best time of 1 minute 34.35 seconds.

She said the experience was both "amazing" and "nerve-racking, because I was competing with Paralympics legends and also meeting my role models face-to-face."

Meeting Irish Paralympic swimmer Ellen Keane was overwhelming, she said, describing the 28-year-old gold medalist as "someone I pray to be (like) every day of my life".

Yet, she also knows that she is no less of an inspiration to young Ugandans, particularly those with disabilities.

Kukundakwe spent years struggling to keep up with able-bodied swimmers, a challenge she turned into an advantage, she said.

"I worked toward matching their pace to be able to compete against them."

But, today, her sense of purpose extends beyond wanting to win medals.

"My main goal of participating in international events is to inspire people with disabilities, especially children, to reach for their dreams and do the best they can," she said.

Changing perceptions

It's an uphill battle in Uganda, where children with disabilities are sometimes seen as a burden, and are even abandoned by their families.

According to Uganda's state-run Equal Opportunities Commission, people with disabilities still face stigma and discrimination, and are often denied access to public services, such as health and education.

A youth ambassador for the International Paralympics Committee, Kukundakwe believes change is coming.

"When I came back from competing in tournaments ... people would come and say, 'hi Husnah, welcome back'. Yet, before, they would look at me, and even stare at me or point fingers," she said.

"My career has changed people's perceptions. They no longer look at me as a girl who is disabled, but as one who is traveling the whole world as a professional swimmer."

Furthermore, she believes her example is encouraging more of her compatriots to take up sports.

Currently focused on training for Paris, she also hopes to compete in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. However, her ultimate dream is to become a pediatrician.

"As much as I love swimming, I cannot compete forever," she said.

AFP