How Cary’s Jesse Ssengonzi earned a chance to swim at the Paris Olympics for Uganda

When one Olympic swimmer dives into the pool, he won’t swim for a gold medal. Instead, he will swim for his family, his home country, his American community and, most importantly, his late father.

Jesse Ssengonzi qualified to swim the men’s 100-meter butterfly for Uganda at the Paris Olympics this month. Ssengonzi grew up in Cary after his parents moved to the United States and retained Ugandan citizenship.

Ssengonzi will be the only male swimmer, out of 23 total athletes, to represent the country at the Olympic games.

His father, Dr. Robert Ssengonzi, died on Aug. 14, 2018. He worked as a population and health scientist, often researching the impact of HIV/AIDS, related education programs and intervention efforts.

Ssengonzi said his father played a key role in his motivation and determination throughout his entire swimming career. His sister, Rachel, said the family briefly lived in Uganda together about 12 years ago. Their father coached them daily. Rachel Ssengonzi recalled the bond that created between the siblings and their father.

“It was a really formative time, an encouraging time,” she said. “I think he would be, overall, really proud of him and excited to tell family and friends that (Jesse) had achieved that goal.”

“He really wanted to see one of his children get to the point of being able to represent Uganda on the world stage,” Jesse Ssengonzi added. “I feel very happy and fortunate to be the person who fulfilled that. And I’m sure he’s looking down and smiling at me.”

Becoming an Olympian

The Green Hope High School alumnus and recent University of Chicago graduate earned his spot through universality placement. The program is designed to provide opportunities for underrepresented nations. Members from the International Olympic Committee analyze requests and often set technical requirements.

Jesse Ssengonzi set the Division III record in the 100-yard butterfly at the national championship — collegiate swimming is measured in yards while international swimming is measured in meters — but he never recorded an Olympic “A” cut swim time.

He earned his spot by finishing as the top Ugandan swimmer in the World Aquatic Rankings and competing at the World Aquatic Championships.

Paul Silver coached Ssengonzi on the Marlins of Raleigh swim club for about 10 years. The duo worked closely during Ssengonzi’s high school career. They knew for about a year that Ssengonzi had a good chance to earn a spot in the Olympics due to the universality rule.

He is the second athlete from the club to make an Olympic team. Erika Stewart represented Colombia in 2008.

“It’s huge, certainly for our team, and he’s got the support of all his teammates,” Silver said. “It’s just a tremendous honor for him and his family.”

Ssengonzi hopes to make the top 16 and swim in the semifinals, which would be the highest finish for a Ugandan swimmer in the country’s history.

The now-college graduate credits Silver and the Marlins for helping him reach this milestone. Ssengonzi called his time with the club “essential.” It taught him how to set goals, helped develop a complete volume of swim strokes, and built this confidence.

When describing his relationship with Silver, Ssengonzi said, “Love him to death. Definitely a good guiding figure in my life.”

“As a coach, I love seeing kids go fast,” Silver said, “but the best part is seeing them when they grow up, get older and mature, and what fine young men and women they become.”

‘But I persisted’

Ssengonzi began swimming as a child after his older brother, Jethro, started the sport. All of the kids got “funneled” into it, so their mother wouldn’t have to drive to multiple locations and practices.

Though he’s now become an Olympian, Ssengonzi didn’t really like the sport when he started.

As he developed as an athlete, it grew on him. Silver said Ssengonzi always had natural talent, a strong work ethic and team-oriented mentality. The work ethic and relationship building became two of Ssengonzi’s favorite parts of the sport. He enjoys the ability to compete alongside others, while having the opportunity to succeed and improve on an individual level.

“You can take a very personal approach to getting better and think about how you specifically can become faster and work on those things,” Ssengonzi said. “I really appreciated that. It can be analytical if you want it to.”

Ssengonzi represented Uganda on the junior level and then was invited back for senior level swimming after he began college. He holds six Ugandan long course records and two short course records. He was part of two record-holding mixed relay teams, as well.

There were times, however, when he wondered if the Olympics were feasible. All the sacrifices, balancing schoolwork, determining a future career and training can take a toll on a person. Ssengonzi said it took a long-term, horizon-focused mindset to get him to this goal.

“I, at times contended with, ‘Is this even a viable dream and is the amount of time I invest worth it?’” Ssengonzi said. “But I persisted, I trusted in the process.”

Like Silver, Rachel Ssengonzi admires her brother’s determination and work ethic. She doesn’t want to say the family expected him to become an Olympian, but it doesn’t surprise her. He’s possessed the qualities needed through the different phases of his life.

The family would love to see him in the semifinal race, but Rachel Ssengonzi said the family is beyond proud.

“My biggest hope would be — this is kind of corny, but, genuinely, he has fun,” she said, “and it’s something that he can remember, look back on, and be proud of himself for sticking with it and achieving that goal he had set.”

The recent college grad looks forward to his Olympic moment. He’ll walk in the opening ceremony and represent his home country. His mother will sit in the stands, his friends and teammates will watch from afar, and his father remains present in his memory.

“I’m incredibly grateful for all the effort and sacrifice you put in to be able to give me this opportunity,” Ssengonzi said in a message to everyone who supported him. “I’ll do my best to make the most of it, and hopefully one day get to a point where I can either inspire others, or help others get similar opportunities for themselves.”