Saliboko in sotlight for 100 meters Freestyle at Olympics

Dar es Salaam. All eyes and ears of Tanzanian sports stakeholders will be on top swimmer Collins Saliboko as he competes in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France tomorrow, July 30, 2024 from 11am East Africa time.

Saliboko will compete in the 100 meters freestyle and is placed in Heat 2. His competitors in this heat include Hoost Irvin from Suriname, Antoine De Lapparent from Cambodia, and Nixon Hernandez from El Salvador.

Additionally, the heat features Ovesh Purahoo from Mauritius, Islam Samiul Rafi from Bangladesh, Hemed Samir Issa Al Adawi from Oman, and Yousef Abubakar from Libya.

To advance, Collins needs to secure a spot among the top 16 swimmers out of a total of 79 in the freestyle category.

The freestyle competition comprises 10 heats: nine heats with eight swimmers each and one heat (Heat 1) with seven swimmers.

A strong performance in his heat is crucial for Collins to move forward to the next stages.

Despite the formidable competition, Collins is determined to excel.

"I have trained extensively in preparation for this competition. My goal is to make Tanzania proud, although I anticipate facing tough opposition.

The event includes many prominent swimmers from around the world, so it will be a challenging race," said Collins, a former student of St. Felix School in Great Britain.

He noted that his experience from participating in numerous international competitions has been invaluable in his preparation.

This extensive experience has not only honed his skills but also provided him with the confidence needed to compete at the highest level.

In addition to Collins, Tanzanian swimmer Sophia Latiff will also be competing in the 50 meters freestyle category on August 3.

The presence of these two swimmers at the Olympic Games highlights the growing prominence of Tanzanian athletes on the global stage.