One week after the curtains fell on the 2026 Kenya Aquatics National Long Course Swimming Championships in Nairobi, the memories of Kasarani remain fresh within the Sailfish Swim Club Kampala family.
Those memories were celebrated on June 10, 2026, at the club’s Ambrosoli premises in Bugolobi, where swimmers, coaches, parents, and supporters gathered to reflect on a championship that showcased far more than medals and podium finishes. The event highlighted the continued growth of one of Uganda’s most successful swimming development programmes and reinforced Sailfish’s status as one of East Africa’s leading swimming institutions.
Sailfish travelled to Nairobi with a clear mission: to test themselves against East Africa’s finest swimmers, evaluate their progress, and continue building a culture of excellence.
Over three days of intense competition at the Kasarani Aquatic Stadium from May 29 to 31, the Kampala-based club delivered beyond expectations. The team produced age-group champions, multiple medallists, finalists, and swimmers capable of challenging the region’s elite.
Their efforts culminated in an outstanding second-place finish in the overall combined standings with 266.5 points, behind only Dolphins Swim Club Kampala. Sailfish also emerged as the top-performing men’s team with 142 points, while the women’s team finished fourth with 66.5 points.
For Head Coach Joseph Kabogoza, the performance represented one of the club’s most impressive regional outings.
“If I had to summarise Sailfish Swim Club’s performance in one sentence, I would say it was remarkable. The lads did a very good job,” Kabogoza said.
“As coaches, we always have high expectations because we know the quality of our training and preparations. But to be honest, the team exceeded my expectations in many ways, especially finishing second overall out of more than 90 swim clubs from East Africa.”
Sailfish finished the championships as the second most decorated club at the competition, collecting an impressive 42 medals.
Their medal tally included: 19 Gold medals, 12 Silver medals, and 11 Bronze medals. Individual Event Medals – 2 Gold, 9 Silver, 8 Bronze. Relay Event Medals – 17 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze
The relay performances became one of the defining stories of the championships. Sailfish’s dominance in team events demonstrated the strength of its programme across multiple age groups and highlighted the depth of talent being developed within the club.
The men’s team played a major role in the club’s success, finishing as the best-performing men’s side with 142 points, edging Dolphins Swim Club Kampala, which scored 140 points.
The men collected: 10 Gold medals, 7 Silver medals, and 6 Bronze medals.
Remarkably, nine of the ten gold medals came through relay events, illustrating Sailfish’s ability to develop balanced teams rather than relying solely on individual stars.
Among the standout performers was Seth Kabogoza, who secured bronze in the Boys 10–11 50m Backstroke final with a time of 39.56 seconds. Teammate Mutebi Emmanuel also reached the final, finishing sixth in 40.17 seconds and contributing valuable team points.
In the competitive 14–15 category, Jaden Mwase collected six individual points to rank among the leading swimmers in his division, and Robin Vandenhoeke contributed four valuable points. Arthur Mwase finished fourth overall in the men’s individual rankings with 12 points, while Matthew Mwase followed closely with 10 points.
Despite fielding a relatively small female squad, Sailfish’s girls delivered several memorable performances; One of the standout moments came in the Girls 10–11 200m Butterfly, where Audrey Nyonyintono claimed silver in a qualifying time of 3:17.02. Her performance was complemented by teammate Karen Mwangi, who advanced through the preliminaries in the highly competitive Girls 14–15 50m Backstroke and narrowly missed a place among the finalists.
The club’s female programme also produced several swimmers who reached finals and achieved qualifying standards, highlighting a bright future for Sailfish women’s swimming.
Coach Kabogoza believes the girls’ achievements deserve special recognition.
“We came second overall with only 23 swimmers,” he explained. “Out of those 23, only six were girls, and four of those girls were all in the same 10–11 age category. We had no girls in the 12–13 category and only two in the 14–15 category, with none in the 16 and over division.
“For the boys, we were balanced across every age category, and we actually won the boys’ category. Our six girls finished sixth overall, which was a massive achievement for them as well.”
Several swimmers delivered performances worthy of special recognition.
Gianna Opolot: Gianna emerged as one of the club’s brightest performers. She reached the Girls 10–11 50m Backstroke final and touched the wall in 37.30 seconds to secure a silver medal after an impressive preliminary swim. She also earned bronze in another championship final, underlining her consistency and growing reputation as one of Uganda’s promising young swimmers.
Audrey Nyonyintono: Audrey showcased her butterfly strength by securing silver in the Girls 10–11 200m Butterfly. Her time of 3:17.02 not only earned her a podium finish but also achieved the qualifying standard.
Seth Kabogoza: Seth’s bronze medal performance in the Boys 10–11 50m Backstroke highlighted his potential and contributed important points to Sailfish’s overall success.
Emmanuel Mutebi: Mutebi demonstrated consistency by reaching the Boys 10–11 50m Backstroke final and finishing sixth against strong regional competition.
Karen Mwangi: Competing in one of the championship’s toughest events, Karen advanced beyond the preliminary stage and narrowly missed qualification for the final, showcasing her ability to compete at national championship level.
Beyond the medals, Sailfish’s greatest achievement may have been its overall competitiveness throughout the championship; The club consistently reached finals, achieved qualifying standards, and accumulated valuable points against elite swimming programmes from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zambia.
For the coaching staff, the championships provided an important benchmark.
“The competition gave us an opportunity to measure ourselves against some of East Africa’s finest talent,” Kabogoza explained.
“The meet attracted clubs from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zambia, so it was a good opportunity to compete at regional level and get a clear picture of where we stand.”
At the heart of Sailfish’s achievements is a long-term athlete development philosophy that prioritises complete swimmer development over immediate results.
“It’s about the programme,” Kabogoza said. “We focus on the long-term development of a swimmer rather than short-term benefits. We build holistic swimmers.”
The club places significant emphasis on technique at an early age and deliberately avoids premature specialisation.
“We focus heavily on technique at a very young age and avoid specialising too early. Our swimmers compete in all strokes and different events, and we only begin specialising after the age of 16. That long-term athlete development model has been key to our success.”
“The pressure is never on short-term success. We focus on development rather than quick results.”
Despite the impressive achievements, the coaching staff believes there is still room for growth.
Kabogoza identified consistency as the next major target.
“Swimming is like a triangle involving the swimmer, the coach and the parent.
“We need greater consistency from our swimmers, continued commitment from parents and continuous professional development from our coaches. Those are the areas we shall keep improving in order to consistently dominate.”
The championships also tested the resilience of Sailfish athletes, many of whom were competing for the first time in a meet featuring both heats and finals.
“All our swimmers competed for the first time in a meet with heats and finals. You might swim three events in the morning, qualify and then repeat those events later in the day. It’s demanding, but they persevered and learned a lot.”
With the Uganda National Swimming Championships scheduled for July 2–5, Sailfish has already shifted focus to its next challenge, and the confidence gained in Nairobi provides a strong foundation for future success.