TZ swimmers flop, but improve their records

Dar es Salaam. Two Tanzanian swimmers Dennis Mhini and Sonia Tumiotto have a reason to smile despite failing to reach the Youth Olympics Games finals in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The duo, who represented the country at the quadrennial showpiece, managed to improve their personal records.

Tumiotto featured in 100 and 200 metres freestyle while Mhini competed in 100 metres freestyle and 50 metres backstroke events.

Tumiotto, one of the most promising female swimmers in Tanzania, finished first in heat one of the 100m freestyle event after clocking 1.01.47 minutes. She earned 595 points for her performance.

She also took the third place in the 200m freestyle event after clocking 2.12.05 minutes, collecting 626 points.

Mhini finished third in the 100m freestyle competition clocking 58.53 seconds to score 514 points before taking the third spot in 50m backstroke after 29.79 seconds where he managed to garner 525 points.

The Tanzania Swimming Association (TSA) Chairman, Imani Dominick, hailed the swimmers for their performance, saying they did well considering all the challenges they faced.

Dominick disclosed that Mhini was competing in a big competition for the first time while Tumiotto had to overcome stress of her ailing mother to focus on the Olympics.

“Tumiotto went through a tough time ahead of the tournament, but she performed fairly well. It is my belief that she will grab medals in the forthcoming competitions,” he said.

The TSA boss added that Mhini also put up a great performance despite making a debut in international competitions.

“Mhini was a debutant in international competitions, but he performed quite well and we believe that he has a bright future,” he said.