Three Gambian swimmers will represent The Gambia at this year's World Aquatics Championships 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan. This is the first time since the inception of the association that more than one athlete will represent the nation at the World Aquatics Championships (formerly FINA World Championships). This will also be the first time since the inception of the association that a female athlete will participate in the Championships. The event is an Olympic qualifier for the Olympic Games in Paris, France 2024.
For this edition’s World Aquatics Championships, The Gambia will be represented by Pap D. Jonga, Aminata Nia-Maria Barrow, and Ousman Jobe.
Pap D. Jonga, who is currently based in Abu Dhabi as a swimming instructor, is the first swimmer to represent The Gambia at the Olympic Games. He participated in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil. Pap is currently the national record holder for Men 50m Freestyle and Men 50m Butterfly in The Gambia.
United States-based Gambian swimmer Aminata Nia-Maria Barrow (also called Amie Barrow), who was born to a Gambian father and a Finnish mother, will also compete at the Games in Japan. This will be her first international competition. However, she has participated in many swimming competitions in the US. She has participated and comes out first in many State and Regional Championships in the US. She won a gold medal in the Wisconsin LSC Regional Championships in 2016 for the Women's 50m Breaststroke, gold Wisconsin LSC Regional Championships in 2018 for the Women's 200m Individual Medley, gold at the Wisconsin LSC Summer Regional Meet in 2019 for the Women 200m Individual Medley, two gold medals at the Wisconsin LSC LC 13&O Championships in 2022 for the events Women 100m Breaststroke and Women 200m Breaststroke.
Ousman Jobe, born November 27th, 2005, is the youngest among the three swimmers. He is a fast-growing athlete and has so far participated in the CANA Zone II Championships 2022 in Senegal, and the 2022 CANA Senior African Championships in Tunisia. This year’s World Aquatics Championships 2023 will provide him the needed exposure, and experience and it will also be an opportunity for him to improve his timing.
