Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE might have unearthed another bright prospect in Monalisa Sibanda, a 10-year-old swimming sensation from Bulawayo who rocked at the Junior National Championships held at Les Brown in Harare last weekend.
Sibanda, who is a swimming student at the School of Swimming, took home a total of 12 medals, including four gold, six silver and two bronze.
Drawing her inspiration from the legendary Kirsty Coventry, Sibanda is targeting to become the next big thing in Zimbabwean swimming.
“I want to break records and I want to keep working hard so that I become the best,” Sibanda told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
One of her best performances came in the 50m breaststroke, in which she clocked 42.97 seconds, in a podium performance.
She also struck gold in the 100m freestyle, 200m individual medley and the 200m relay.
Sibanda’s club mate, Zayan Ngwenya also stole the show in the boys’ Under-10 segment.
“My role model is Kirsty Coventry, I have heard that she won gold medals at the Olympic Games and I want to be like her,” added Sibanda.
Coventry is the only Zimbabwean to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Games.
She won three medals at the 2004 Olympics, including a gold in the 200m backstroke.
Coventry retained her title at the 2008 Games, before adding four silver and one bronze medal to her tally.
Since Coventry’s retirement, the country has struggled to find a successor to take over the mantle.
There is hope, however with the emergence of such talented swimmers like Mikayla Makwabarara, Donata Katai and Paige van der Westhuizen.
Katai, 20, represented Zimbabwe at the 2020 Olympics, becoming the first black swimmer to represent Zimbabwe at the prestigious event, but she failed to win any medal.
Sibanda has left her coach Siobhan Kesson brimming with confidence.
“I have groomed Monalisa (Sibanda) and Zayan (Ngwenya) as well as a lot of others from our club and I am so proud of them.
“Most of the younger swimmers look up to them and they really deserve this.
“They are putting in a lot of hours and we are always recommending a good diet, good sleep for them,” said Kesson.
Sibanda’s performances at the National Junior Championships was a signal of her immense potential, according Kesson, who believes she could become a future star in the sport.
She is a Grade Six student at Whitestone Primary School in Bulawayo but trains with School of Swimming Club in Harare.
