Ampaire and Dorah fall short as Uganda’s FISU medal dream fades

Uganda’s hopes of securing a historic swimming medal at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Berlin were dashed, as national representatives Namanya Ampaire and Nankunda Dorah fell short in their respective heats.

In the men’s 200m breaststroke, Ampaire recorded a time of 2:44.92 in Heat 1, an improvement on his entry time of 2:45.70 but it wasn’t enough to advance. He finished 5th in his heat and ranked 43rd overall out of 45 competitors.

The race saw dominant performances from the USA’s Delmar and Bey, who secured the top two spots, followed by Korea’s Lee in third and Brazil’s De Godoy Camossato in fourth.

In the women’s 100m backstroke, Nankunda Dorah finished 7th in her heat with a time of 1:47.46. Lebanon’s Aya Hamdoun led the field with a commanding 1:07.53, nearly 40 seconds faster than Dorah. Argentina’s Vanela Burgos secured second place in a strong showing for South America.

While Uganda’s swimmers did not reach the next rounds, their participation provided invaluable exposure on one of the world’s most competitive university swimming stages. The lessons learned are expected to fuel future growth, as the country continues to invest in developing a stronger footprint in aquatic sports on both continental and global platforms.