For 17-year-old Natalia Ladha, swimming has always been a passion, a way for her not only to push her limits, but also to showcase how dedication and determination lead to success. When she was just 14, Natalia competed in the African Swimming Championships (CANA Zone 4) in Dar es Salaam and set a country record, covering 1.5 kilometers in a time of 20:01:23. She was the only swimmer in the competition to complete the event, a testament to her incredible resilience and stamina.
“Since I started swimming aged five, I’ve had a passion for the sport,” she said. “I wanted my swimming to be more than a hobby, so I decided to pursue swimming as a career to do what I love for a living.”
As of late, Natalia has taken to competing in shorter distances, namely in the women’s 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke. Over the past two years, she has performed especially well, setting new personal best times and representing her country on a global stage. In 2023, she was selected as one of two swimmers from Tanzania to compete in the Commonwealth Youth Games, a prestigious competition encouraging young athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 to hone their skills at an international level.
“By remembering my goals and visualizing my success, and by thinking about what I want to accomplish and what I want out of my training, it becomes easier to keep pushing myself,” she said, on the topic of intensive training leading up to competitions.
Her commitment to excellence extended to subsequent competitions later on in 2023 and in early 2024, as she took part in the 8th Africa Zone 3 Swimming Championship, the African Junior Swimming Championship, and the World Aquatics Championships. Her presence at each highlights her achievements at regional, national, and international levels, respectively. At the World Aquatics Championships in February of this year, Natalia swam a personal best of 1:13:56 in the 100m backstroke, clocking a significant milestone in her journey. She represented Tanzania alongside three other swimmers, bringing her nation pride and helping to pave the way for its success in the future.
Most recently, she has competed in the Tanzania National Clubs Championship in April and the XVI Africa Aquatics Swimming and Open Water Championships in May, both of which were qualifying events for the 2024 Olympics.
“My goal is to keep training for at least 16 hours a week while balancing all my schoolwork, and to find a good university with a worthy swim club so I can easily keep up my training. My biggest goal is to reduce my time in all the 50-meter events by at least 10 seconds before January of next year, to prepare for the Global Encounters Festival,” she added.
Natalia’s commitment to her sport and country continues to inspire not just her compatriots, but also members of the global Jamat. Her accomplishments thus far remind us of the importance of perseverance, and as she progresses in her journey, Natalia’s example prompts us to stand by our core values of dedication, sporting ethics, and humility in all that we do.
