Rising swimmer breaks 100m record

Sports Reporter
YOUNG swimmer, Mikayla Makwabarara, set the bar high when she broke a long-standing 100m freestyle record.

The mark had been set by swimming icon, Kirsty Coventry, at the Harare Amateur Swimming Senior Championships.

Makwabarara broke the record recently at Les Brown.

The championships, featuring Harare clubs, are held over two weekends and they will be meeting for the final two days, this weekend.

But, it is the opening weekend which saw a couple of national records, as well  as several Harare records, being broken.

The records are subject to ratification.

However, it was Makwabarara of Highlands Swimming Club, who was outstanding, when she swam 1min 03.97s to break the 100m freestyle record of 1min 04.34s set by Coventry in 1995 in the 12-years-old age group.

Coventry, who is Africa’s most decorated Olympian, is now the Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation minister.

“I am really proud of myself. Before the race, I was really determined and I was quite nervous,’’ said Makwabarara.

“But, I just pushed myself, even though I was tired. I tried hard and I managed to do it.

“I know how it feels like, after you have done something good, and I just wanted that feeling of victory and to be proud of myself.

“I didn’t think I was going to get below the time of the record so, I was really surprised when I looked at the board and I saw that I had gotten a better time.’’

The 12-year-old is back in the pool this weekend, for the final two days of the competition.

“I feel like I am going to do well,” said Makwabarara.

In the male 12-year-olds, Pirates Zimbabwe’s Kyle Heyns also had a good outing, breaking the 100m backstroke record of 1min 14.60s, when he clocked 1min 14.43s.

He also set a new Harare record of 30.72s, for the 50m butterfly in the same age-group, beating the previous record of 31.55s.

“It’s amazing to break a record and to tire at the same time and it feels really good.

“I couldn’t have done it without the other swimmers pushing me such as Limbikani (Kalipengule).

“He was right next to me the whole time and that pushed me to try to beat him.

“I wasn’t really expecting it, but I was hoping, I guess, but it was quite a surprise and it’s a great feeling when they call your name out,” said Heyns.

Wisdom Shumba came first in the 13-year-olds 50m butterfly in 29.44s.

The previous mark was 30.35s.

Anje Van As of Pirates Zimbabwe managed 6mins 00.46s in the 400m individual medley to beat the previous record of 6mins 08.18s.

The first weekend of the Championships ended with Highlands leading with a combined team score of 3 286.5 points, followed by Sharks, who accumulated 1 336 points

In third spot was Spartans, with 1 037.5, and Pirates Zimbabwe had 752 in fourth place. Dorado Swim Club and Harare Otters Swim Club were fifth and sixth with 582 and 285 points respectively.

Crocs had 12 points.

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