The Corporate Sports Network (CSN) swimming outing on Sunday at the Hotel Africana swimming pool was a pinnacle of athletic drama that provided electrifying moments where microseconds made all the difference
Although fewer than the 35 companies participated, those who fielded swimmers brought aces. There was no underdog this time round. The swimmers sliced through the water in near-perfect unison, their strokes strong and relentless, churning up white foam as they surged toward the wall.
Most times, the sizeable crowd was on its feet, roaring with excitement. In most races, it was impossible to tell who was in the lead, with swimmers gliding neck and neck as they surged to the final meters.
There were many photo finishes during the swimming competitions
As the swimmers lunged for the wall, arms stretched, fingers clawing through the last inch of water, the crowds cheered them on, and telling the winner was not easy on the naked eye. For some races, the arena held its breath. With no underwater cameras and microchip timers to capture the milliseconds. One swimmer’s outstretched hand was just a hair breadth. Cue the arguments.
The DTB team that complained about being cheated.
Hotel Africana thought their swimmer Jacob Mugisha had done enough to win gold in the individual category. The hawk-eyed umpires and camera footage had other ideas. Indeed. Centenary Bank’s Silver Ogwang beat him to gold by less than 1 second.
Ogwang erupted in joy, water streaming down his face, while Mugisha looked up in disbelief, exhaustion written on his face. His coach and teammates looked on in suspenseful disbelief.
Swimmers prepare to dive on Sunday at Hotel Africana poolside for the relays won by Hotel Africana
Hotel Africana atoned for the photo finish uncertainty by clearly winning the relay gold. Dfcu was second, and Case Hospital came third.
In the women’s individual category, DTB Bank came up short of requesting footage from Mars, just to prove that they had won the bronze medal. The judges ruled that their swimmer had touched the wall after Case Hospital’s Sandra Namasaba. In Jest, they asked for a joint bronze medal, but to their chagrin, they were told about the rules.
In truth, the difference between glory and second place was barely visible to the naked eye; there’s a need to invest in swimming technology.
