Team Uganda Wraps Up Monday’s Action at Dakar 2026 with Swimming, Table Tennis and Rugby Results.
Team Uganda continued its participation at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Monday, 2 November, with athletes competing in swimming, table tennis and Rugby Sevens as the Games entered another day of international competition.
Uganda’s swimmers delivered encouraging performances in the pool, while the table tennis players faced tough opposition in their singles matches. The Junior Rugby Sevens Cranes also concluded their campaign with classification matches at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop.
Swimmers Record Encouraging Performances
Mark Arthur Mwase and Peterson Inhensiko finished among the top three in Heat 4 of the Men’s 100m Freestyle.
Mwase secured second place in 55.47 seconds, finishing 0.83 seconds behind Puerto Rico’s Ian Martinez Alonso. He recorded the fastest reaction time in the heat at 0.57 seconds and moved from third position at the turn to second at the finish.
“I’m happy about that. I’m enjoying the experience. It’s really hot here in Senegal, but I’m having fun,” Mwase said after the race.
His teammate Inhensiko followed in third place with a time of 56.25 seconds. He turned second at the 50-metre mark in 26.13 seconds and maintained his position ahead of swimmers from the United Arab Emirates and Libya.
Having two Ugandan swimmers finish among the top three in the same heat was a notable performance for the country’s young swimming team.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Zara Marie Mbanga improved her personal best in the Women’s 200m Breaststroke, clocking 2:56.89 to lower her previous mark by three seconds.
Mbanga held fifth position at both the 50m and 100m marks, staying ahead of Cyprus’ Maria Kermanou as she competed against swimmers from Japan, Austria, Tunisia and the Philippines.
“It was a fairly good race. I was able to cut my time by three seconds. I feel like I could have improved on my turns, but overall, I’m happy with the time,” Mbanga said.
Table Tennis Athletes Face Tough Opposition
In table tennis, Jemimah Nakawala and Joseph Sebatindira were also in action in their respective singles encounters.
Nakawala faced India’s Das Synderela, losing 3–0. The Indian player won the games 11–9, 11–6 and 11–8.
Sebatindira took on Romania’s Robert Istrate in a four-game contest. The Ugandan won the opening game 11–9 but was unable to sustain the advantage, losing the next three games 7–11, 12–14 and 10–12 to finish the match 3–1.
The encounters provided the Ugandan players with valuable exposure against international opposition at the Youth Olympic Games.
Badminton: Bukenya Falls in Singles Encounter
Uganda’s Ramiah Bukenya faced a challenging outing in badminton, losing her singles match 2–0 after going down 21–2 and 21–6 in the two games.
Despite the defeat, Bukenya continues to gain valuable experience as she represents Uganda at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Junior Rugby Sevens Cranes Finish Eighth
Uganda’s Junior Rugby Sevens Cranes concluded their Dakar 2026 campaign with an eighth-place finish following their classification matches on Monday.
The Ugandan side faced Germany in the 5th–8th place classification semi-final, where they lost 22–0. They subsequently met hosts Senegal in the seventh-place match, suffering a 10–5 defeat to finish eighth overall.
Uganda’s campaign included pool-stage encounters against Argentina, France and Japan. The team lost 49–0 to Argentina and 58–0 to France before facing Japan, where they registered their first points of the tournament.
In the match against Japan, Almadi Otema crossed the try line for Uganda, while Shafik Okole successfully converted the try in a 41–7 defeat.
Despite the results, the team gained valuable international experience and exposure against some of the world’s leading youth rugby teams.
Team Uganda Continues its Dakar 2026 Journey
Uganda’s participation at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games continues to provide young athletes with an opportunity to showcase their talent, gain international experience and represent the country on the global stage.
The Uganda Olympic Committee remains committed to supporting the athletes as they compete across the different disciplines at the Games.
