Kukundakwe targets LA 2028 after Uganda's first Commonwealth swimming silver

Husnah Kukundakwe has returned home to a hero's welcome after securing Uganda's first-ever Commonwealth Games swimming medal, a historic silver in the women's 100m breaststroke SB8 final.

 The 19-year-old Kabojja International School student, who is preparing to begin university, delivered a stunning performance at Glasgow's Tollcross Swimming Centre, clocking 1:26.20 to set a new African para swimming record. 

She finished just 4.15 seconds behind Britain's Brock Whiston, who took gold in 1:22.05, but her silver medal marked Uganda's first podium finish at this year's Games and cemented her place in the nation's sporting history.

"Winning the silver wasn't easy at all, but I put up a good race," Kukundakwe reflected after touching down at Entebbe Airport on Thursday.

 "I led for 80 meters and then fell back, but I'm glad I achieved a personal best and a medal. The difference between second and third place was just 0.11 seconds—this could have been a bronze, but I was fortunate to win silver, and I'm very happy."

Husnah Kukundakwe (2nd left) and her mum Hashima Mutamuriza (right) are welcome back by UPC's Irene Nabisenke and Innocent Tumwesigye (2nd right) at Entebbe Airport on return from the Commonwealth Games where she won silver in the 100m SB8 breaststroke. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

Despite her historic achievement, Kukundakwe is already looking ahead, with her sights firmly set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. "It is going to be another long journey, but I'm also excited for that, one step at a time," she said, exuding the calm and composure that defined her performance in Glasgow. 

"By the time I dived in for my races, I was calm and ready to embrace this friendly competition among all the Commonwealth countries. I had lots of fun, made new friends, and met up with old ones." More than personal glory, Kukundakwe views her success as a platform to drive change and inspire others, particularly those with disabilities.

"Every time I do sport, it is not for my own benefit and achievements but also to inspire lots of people in and outside Uganda with disabilities to just be themselves, embrace sport, and advocate for others," she emphasized.

"Sport is just the beginning, and I'm happy that I was able to inspire many people and receive the Fortebet Real Stars monthly award as well."

The Uganda Paralympic Committee (UPC) has hailed Kukundakwe's silver as a watershed moment for para-sports in the country, with General Secretary Innocent Tumwesigye praising her exemplary performance.

"To see her win at this level is commendable. She will help many para-athletes, especially young ones, gain confidence and aim to reach her achievements," Tumwesigye stated. 

"She will also serve as a role model for the country in these games, and we hope she can win another medal at the Olympics."

He extended gratitude to her family, coaches, technical staff, UPC president Mpindi Bumali, and the National Council of Sports (NCS) for their critical support. Looking forward, Tumwesigye confirmed that preparations for the Olympics will intensify, with training camps being organiSed to ensure para-athletes are well-equipped for future success. "We thank her for being exemplary, and we thank all stakeholders for their contributions to this success," he added.

Meanwhile, Uganda's boxing contingent returned from Glasgow with mixed results but determined spirits, as Aziz Ringo and Alfred Ojok both faced tough losses against British opponents. Ringo, a grandson of former president Idi Amin, expressed pride in representing his country despite his defeat. 

"We gave it our best, and we are proud to be Ugandans. In sport, there is always a winner and a loser, but next time will be better," Ringo said, acknowledging the challenge of facing home-favored Britons. 

"We faced tough draws against the British, which was a challenge. I'm going back to work on what was missing. We learned a lot and will fix what went wrong so that next time we will be better."

Ojok echoed that sentiment, vowing to learn from his mistakes and return stronger. "Learning never stops, and most of the time we learn from our mistakes, so I learned from mine. Don't expect me to make the same mistakes next time," Ojok declared. 

"We all trained the same way and tried to implement what we had worked on, but things didn't go our way. I will start training immediately so that, if given another chance to represent the country, we can perform better."