Swimmers start medal quest at world tourney

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s trio of swimmers – Celina Itatiro, Kayla Temba and Collins Saliboko – start their medal search at the Fina World Championships in Hangzhou, China today.

Itatiro will be the first Tanzanian swimmer to take to the stage this morning competing in the women’s 100 meter butterfly.

The swimmer has no fear in facing the world’s biggest names in her quest for medals at the short course world event, which started yesterday, according to the national swimming team head coach, Alex Mwaipasi.

Temba and Saliboko will compete in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly respectively, the world’s swimming governing body (Fina) announced yesterday.

Hilal Hilal, another Tanzanian swimmer at the championships, will start his medal expedition tomorrow.

The national swimming team head coach, Alex Mwaipasi, has expressed optimism that his swimmers would sparkle at the event.

“We are well prepared for the Fina World Championship,” coach Mwaipasi told The Citizen by phone from Hangzhou yesterday.

Mwaipasi said his swimmers have what it takes to win top honours in the championship, which has attracted top swimmers from around the world.

The Tanzanian swimmers have been in China since last weekend for the championship.

“Our target is to leave our mark in the Hangzhou championship, the team coach added.

Meanwhile, Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys got the short-course worlds off to a strong start yesterday by taking the top seed in the 400 free. He finished in 3:36.65 to hold off Norway’s Henrik Christiansen (3:38.04).

Brazil’s Fernando Scheffer took the third seed in 3:39.10, while Zane Grothe of the U.S. took the fourth seed in 3:39.73.

Also making the finals were Russia’s Aleksandr Kransnykh (3:39.86) and Martin Malyutin (3:39.85), who tied, followed by Italy’s Gabriele Detti (3:39.89) and Poland’s Wojciech Wojdak (3:40.36).