MBABANE – Hayley Hoy and Damien De Sousa brought Eswatini’s Commonwealth Games swimming campaign to a close on Sunday, July 26, after determined performances in Glasgow, Scotland.
Hoy came closest to reaching the next round after finishing second in her heat of the women’s 100m butterfly in 1:08.37. However, the time was not enough to earn qualification as the remaining heats produced faster times. Even heat winner Noelie Lacour of Gabon, who clocked 1:05.23, failed to advance.
De Sousa also exited the competition, after placing third in heat two of the men’s 50m breaststroke in 31.05 seconds, missing out on a place in the semi-finals.
Earlier in the games, on Saturday, July 25, the pair also competed in their opening events. De Sousa finished third in his 50m freestyle heat in 24.83 seconds, while Hoy placed third in her 200m freestyle heat in 2:18.87. Neither swimmer progressed to the semi-finals.
Australia-based swimmer Siwakhile Dlamini remains in action after producing one of Eswatini’s highlights. She finished sixth in her heat of the women’s 100m freestyle in 1:02.82, lowering her entry time of 1:03.87 to record a new personal best.
Dlamini returns to the pool on Tuesday, July 28, when she competes in the women’s 50m freestyle at the Tollcross Swimming Centre in Glasgow.
Eswatini’s wait for a Commonwealth Games medal has now stretched to 20 years. The Kingdom’s last podium finish came in 2006, when boxer Simanga Shiba won bronze in Melbourne.
The Games began for Eswatini on Friday, July 24, with Eswatini’s boxing campaign ending early after Siboniso Vilakati suffered a unanimous 5-0 defeat to Namibia’s Philip Haoseb in the men’s 55kg round-of-32 bout.
