Why the sky is the limit for Borega sisters

Dar es Salaam. There is a famous Swahili saying that goes, “Maji hufuata mkondo” literary meaning water follows its course.

I have used the Swahili saying, referring to the two daughters of Lameck Borega known as Lorita and Leyna.

The girls swim for one of the emerging swim clubs, FK Blue Marlins. The swimmers, so far known as “Borega Sisters,” are among the promising stars of the country.

It is a fact that they have now become the catalyst for swimming development in the country. There is no doubt that swimming is now gaining popularity in the country following the positive results of the Tanzania national team in international championships.

The positive results are a result of the efforts made by various clubs in collaboration with coaches, parents, sponsors under the leadership of the Tanzania Swimming Association (TSA).

But, for the Borega Sisters, their parents have been the source of getting them into the game. The children’s father, Lameck Borega, has left a legacy as he himself is a swimmer, who competes in the Masters Championships.

The children started swimming at the age of five with their father being their head coach and mother, Sophia Borega, as their matron.

Their father decided to do so due to his passion for the sport, which, in one way or another, has brought him far-reaching health benefits.

Apart from developing their talents, the other reasons why the parents decided to get their daughters into the sport were to make them learn the importance of hard work, time management, teamwork and to make them be aware that there is winning and losing in daily life.

Currently, the swimmers’ efforts have borne fruit as they have won 10 medals and two trophies in their age categories of 9 and 10 respectively. The swimmers also managed to win trophies in the just ended Taliss-IST swimming championships.

Lorita, who was born in November 2011, showed a great potential in the competition alongside her eight-year-old sibling, Leyna. Despite being young, Lorita has so far managed to put a total of 26 medals and four trophies under her belt while Leyna has won a total of 14 medals and one trophy .

“I have seen a bright future for my children after having recognised their talents in the sport of swimming. At their age, the number of medals and trophies they have won shows how talented they are as they can do their best internationally when they come of age.

“It is obvious that through the swimmers, Tanzania could do its best in international contests including the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games as well as the world swimming championships,” said Borega.

Swimming background

The swimmers started getting involved in the sport at the age of five. In 2021, Lorita made her debut in the game after competing in the Isamilo swimming contest in Mwanza.

For her part, Leyna’s first competition was the national junior championships held last year at the Champions Rise swimming pool at Upanga, she improved her personal best time.

The Dar es Salaam International School (DIS) students showed their skills in the competition and their parents were thrilled by their performances as Lorita earned selection in the national swimming team that featured in the African Zone Four swimming championships.

Due to her good performance, Lorita was successfully selected for the Tanzania National Team (The Tanzanite) that featured in the Africa Fourth regional swimming tournament in November last year.

He said that Lorita also showed a great potential in the National Open Swimming Championship held at the Gymkhana Club swimming pool in Dar es Salaam.

Lorita, Leyna targets

The swimmers said their main goal is to see that they represent the country in international contests and win medals. They explained that they have been training hard and that is the secret behind their success in the sport.

Coach’s statement

FK Blue Marlins coach Msabila Charles says the children’s success has been due to their efforts, passion for sport and the goal of doing even much better in both local and international competitions.

“Swimming is one of the most difficult and competitive sports. It is an individual game that requires a high level of accountability. You need to be active when competing as contrary to that you will fail to do well.

“For Leyna and Lorita, it is different as they happen to work hard ahead of every competition,” said Charles.