MBABANE – Team Eswatini star swimmer Hayley Hoy once again showed her mettle in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
She got pole position in the Women’s 50m butterfly heat, completing the race in 30.73 seconds. This was yesterday morning according to our local time and also competing alongside her was male swimmer Simanga Dlamini, while Siwakhile Dlamini swam on Thursday, earning a personal best (PB) time. The former competed in the men’s 100m butterfly and finished at position eight in 1:04:50 minutes. He also did the 50m freestyle and managed to get the same position again and his time was 27:84 seconds. For Hoy, it was a case of yet so near yet too far as her time did not allow her to progress to the next stage.
The Eswatini Swimming Association (ESA) President, Herman Jele, was happy with the team’s performance.
“I am impressed with the performance of Simanga, our most experienced swimmer and the fiery Hayley. Simanga swam the 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle, showing a strong performance. Hayley displayed a spirited effort in the 50m fly and outpaced the swimmers in her heat, taking first position,” Jele said.
The president said the swimmers were steadily making a mark even at the global stage, which showed that their future was bright. Swimmers will continue to be supported in order for them to achieve their full potential and raise the Eswatini flag high. ESA is also hoping to find ways to get the swimmers to swim all year round and to send them to camps and more competitions outside the country. Jele said that would really improve their ranking at continental and world level. “The swimmers are doing so well here and we wish we could secure local sponsorships to sustain this,” added Jele.
Best
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old Siwakhile got her personal best (PB) while participating in the women’s 100 metres freestyle event on Thursday. She got position four. Her finishing time was 01:07.78 a difference of two seconds from her previous PB. Their coach, Welcome Nhlabatsi, was also impressed with the teenager’s performance. “It is the first time she is swimming in World Championships and I am very happy with how she handled things in her race. Even though nerves were kicking in, in the morning she swam well. She has competed for the same event quite a number of times and has never been this fast,” Nhlabatsi said. The captain is expected to compete again today, otherwise the competition ends tomorrow.