Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s rising swimming star Lorita Borega is confident of making a strong impression when she competes at the World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Santa Fe, Argentina.
The championships, scheduled for September 3 (today) to 6, will bring together some of the world’s leading young open-water swimmers, providing Borega with the biggest international test of her developing career.
Borega said she is optimistic about her chances after completing what she described as good preparations for the competition. “I have trained well and I feel ready for the competition. I know it will be a tough challenge because I will be competing against swimmers from different countries, but I have confidence in the preparations I have made,” Borega said.
The North Coast Swimming Club swimmer said she would approach the competition with determination and focus, with her main objective being to produce her best performance and gain valuable experience at the highest level of junior open-water swimming.
The event is another major milestone for Borega, who is becoming increasingly recognised as one of Tanzania’s most promising young swimmers.
Her confidence comes after a breakthrough period in which she has continued to improve against stronger competition. In June, she became the first Tanzanian female swimmer to reach the semi-finals of the Africa Aquatics Zone IV Open Water Swimming Championships in Mauritius.
She then carried Tanzania’s hopes at the ANOCA Zone V Youth Games in Nairobi, where she won bronze in the women’s 14 to 17 100 metres freestyle in 1:11.92, giving the country its only swimming medal at the Games.
Borega said those experiences have strengthened her belief that she can compete against swimmers from outside Africa. “I have learnt a lot from the competitions I have taken part in this year. They have given me confidence and helped me understand what is required when competing at a higher level,” she said.
For Borega, the Argentina championships will also provide an opportunity to measure her progress against a wider pool of international talent. World Aquatics’ entry list includes young swimmers such as Turkey’s Su Inal and Bolivia’s Carolina Quiroga, both entered in the women’s 7.5km event. Borega said she is not intimidated by the quality of the field and instead sees the competition as an opportunity to learn and challenge herself.
“My target is to give my best, remain focused throughout the race and finish strongly. I want to use this opportunity to gain experience and show what I can do,” she said.
Her appearance in Santa Fe marks another important step in a journey that has already seen her break new ground for Tanzanian swimming.
