28 Jul 2024

Botswana Swimming coach, Sidingulwazi Sibanda has commended swimmer, Adrian Robinson for his resilience in his Olympic debut in Paris on Saturday.

Robinson finished in fourth position with a time of 1:02.70 in the 100m men breaststroke, heat two.

He later moved to third position after De Lara of Mexico was disqualified.

However, he did not make to the next round as he was ranked 27^th after all the heats, which left him out of the qualification bracket.

Sibanda said the swimmer who was two seconds out of qualification, went out well in the first 50m and faded towards the end of the second 50m

He said the future looked  bright for the swimmer as he was only 20-years-old and headed to the next Olympics.

Sibanda said they were expecting to make early qualification for the next Olympics.

“But there is a lot that we have learnt, and we will continue to observe as we will be watching the finals and see what we can use in our training and plans as an association,” he said.

Robinson said he was happy with his performance.

“It was very close,” he said.

“I felt the immense support from Team Botswana and our supporters back home. Competing at the Olympics has always been a lifetime goal, and achieving it was incredibly fulfilling,” he said.

The swimmer said he had a lot to learn and work on the sport and personally, adding that he had dedicated countless hours to reach this point.

“And while there’s much more to do to achieve an Olympic medal, I’m committed to working harder every day. This is just the beginning,” he said.

Robinson said his next long-term goal was to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, given that he had high expectations for his performance and results.

The African Games bronze medalist said he was prepared and excited for the journey ahead. Ends