Recap: Inside Sara Mose’s record at Africa Aquatic Swimming Championships
By Joel Masibo, May 7, 2026Kenyan swimmer Sara Mose delivered an impressive performance on the opening day of the Africa Aquatics Swimming Championships in Oran, Algeria, clinching a bronze medal on Wednesday morning, May 6, 2026.
Mose’s record
The Kenyan star registered a new national record of 57.49 seconds in the women’s 100m freestyle event, securing a third-place finish in a highly competitive race.
Gloria Muzito of Uganda claimed the gold medal after posting a winning time of 55.65 seconds, while Zimbabwe’s Paige van der Westhuizen settled for silver with a time of 56.54 seconds.
The achievement adds to Mose’s growing reputation as one of Kenya’s standout swimmers, with the Poland-based athlete continuing to shine on the international stage.
Her previous outing came during last year’s World Championships in Singapore, where she achieved a personal best of 25.96 seconds in the women’s 50m freestyle event.
The 19-year-old also featured in Kenya’s 4x100m medley relay team that set a national record of 4:07.72 during the same championships.
Kenya has sent a team of 12 swimmers to this year’s continental championships, aiming to surpass the performances recorded during the 2024 edition held in Luanda, Angola.
Apart from Mose, the Kenyan squad also features Imara Bella Thorpe, Haniel Kudwoli, Iman Ngaruiya, Jeremy Mutwii, Iqbaal Bayusuf, Swaleh Talib, Baraka Nyakundi, Stephen Ndegwa, Nathan Matimu, Isabelle Mwangi and South Africa-based Neo Olengo.
Evening events
Elsewhere, the tournament delivered its most pan-African day yet on Wednesday evening in different categories, as eight different nations reached the medal podium across an electric programme at the Piscine Olympic Miloud-Hadefi. Tunisia, Senegal, Madagascar, Mauritius, Togo and Namibia all stamped their names on the medal sheet alongside the established powerhouses of Egypt, South Africa, Algeria and Zimbabwe, a vivid reminder that the African Championship is, at heart, a continental story.
Hosts Algeria gave their faithful the moment they had craved through Abdellah Ardjoune. Egypt’s Mohannad Yasser produced the swim of the day. South Africa’s junior queen Scarlett Le Roux sealed her third gold of the meet. And, in finals stretched from sprint butterfly to 200m backstroke, the depth of African swimming was on full display.