Lolita sees a bright future in open water swimming

DAR ES SALAAM: YOUNG Tanzanian swimmer, Lolita Borega, has been acknowledged after showcasing a brilliant performance during the recently ended 2025 African Aquatic Junior and Senior Open Water Swimming Championship held in Mombasa, Kenya.

Her outstanding swimming skills enabled Tanzania’s National Open Water Swimming Team to claim 4 points and finish in seventh place out of nine countries that competed in the championship.

Briefing the Daily News today, October 26, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, the country’s National Open Water Swimming Team Manager Ramadhan Namkoveka said Lolita’s performance reveals that Tanzania is on the right path in Open Water contests.

“She managed to secure a semi-final space in the 3 3-kilometer sprinting event, thereby completing a 1.5-kilometer race in 29 minutes and 54 seconds, a time that qualified her for the semi-finals.

” However, in the 1-kilometer semi-final, she clocked 18 minutes and 24 seconds, which did not qualify her for the final slot, but her performance was amazing and made us proud,” he noted.

Lolita, who comes from the Dar es Salaam-based North Coast Swimming Club, established two significant records during the championship as the youngest (junior) athlete to participate in the championship.

Also, she became the first female swimmer from Tanzania to officially compete in an Open Water Swimming Championship.

The female swimmers who reached the final and won medals in the 500m race were: Callan Lotter (South Africa) – 07:50, Amica De Jager (South Africa) – 08:07, and Arwa Faisal Alsharief (Egypt) – 08:15.

“In the men’s 1.5 km event, our athletes demonstrated immense dedication as Rajab Khamisi Omar swam the 1.5 km in 29 minutes and 38 seconds, while Kabeer Rizwani Lakhani clocked 31 minutes and 47 seconds.

“Although these times did not qualify them for the Semi-Finals, the primary and most significant achievement for the team was their success in completing these challenging Open Water races in their first-ever participation,” he said.

According to him, the Tanzanian team faced a major challenge when the team’s captain, Adil Abdulrahman Hussein, sustained a hand injury while approaching the final buoy during the 5 km race on the opening da,y thereby ending Tanzania’s hopes in that event. Furthermore, a shortage of sufficient athletes prevented our team from participating in the Relay races.

“We believe this participation has clearly exposed us to the calibre of our competitors. We eagerly await the Technical Report from our Coach to devise solid strategies and enhance our preparations for future competitions. This debut has provided a clear directional light for the Tanzania Open Water Team,” he said.