Did you know? Our UTS Ambassador Husnah Kukundakwe is THE youngest Paralympic Games athlete and currently the only classified Para-swimmer of Uganda? She is 14 years old and was the flag bearer for Uganda during the unforgettable opening ceremony and has now made her debut during the Paralympics in Tokyo 2020.
Kukundakwe, was born without a lower right arm and did not live with a plan to become a Paralympic swimmer, but she wanted to be more comfortable about herself. “I really did become more confident. Before I started sport I would always wear a sweater or a long-sleeve shirt to hide my hand and arm, or put my hand in my pocket so no one could see my fingers.“But in swimming you only wear a swimsuit, so I got used to that, and I started realising that I don’t care what other people see or think about who I am because of what I look like. I kind of grew into being myself.”
She started her journey of swimming in Kampala and never stopped from there making her international debut at the World Series in Singapore 2019.
Just a few months later, she was representing Uganda at the London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships. After these Championships she got back to school and suddenly people, who she didn’t even know, were saying ‘Hi’ to her. “Seeing how people are inspired by me makes me want to inspire so many more people around the world.
Husnah is literally living her teenage dream. “I feel like I’m meeting movie stars,” she said. The pressure of being the only representative in her sport is outweighed by her excitement at having qualified for the Games, as well as meeting her Para athlete heroes during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and making new friends.
There are no limits to what we can achieve if we allow ourselves to try and UTS is so proud of Husnah, keep touching the clouds!
Follow Husnah’s journey & allow yourself to be inspired @husnah_kukundakwe @paralympics @tokyo2020
#WeThe15 #inclusion #teamuganda #paralympics2020 #paraswimming
Source: Paralympic Games (Youtube)
