Siphiwe Baleka Returns to Competition
On Quest to Become Oldest Olympic Swimmer in History at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo
February 22, 2021 - Fayetteville, AR - Forty-nine year-old swimmer Siphiwe Baleka finished 8th in the 50 Meter Freestyle Sunday night at the TYR Winter Long Course Invite held at the University of Arkansas. His time of 25.53 in the finals equaled his time from the preliminaries earlier that morning. In a time trial the previous day, Baleka swam 25.20, a time which would have ranked him third in the 2020 FINA Masters Swimming World Rankings for men aged 45-49 and forty-fourth in the African Swimming Confederation (CANA) 2020 rankings for all swimmers on the African continent and seventh for CANA Zone 2 (West and Central Africa).
“I am happy with my swim, “ said Baleka. “I haven’t competed since November of 2019 and I was only six-tenths of a second from my best time of 24.60. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I now have five months to get ready to do my best in Tokyo.”
Baleka also finished 15th in the 100 Meter Freestyle with a time of 55.93, just a bit slower than his prelim time of 55.90. That’s the fastest time in United States Masters Swimming Men’s 45-49 age group since 2017 when Baleka swam 54.90 and 2nd in the FINA Masters Swimming World Rankings for 2020.
In December, Baleka was featured in Sports Illustrated which discussed his journey to compete for Guinea Bissau and become the oldest swimmer in Olympic history at the Olympic games this summer.
“My major concern now is fundraising,” added Baleka. “Guinea Bissau is the 12th poorest country in the world. The Guinea Bissau Swim Federation and Olympic Committee doesn’t have money to send me to the games so I have to pay for all my training, travel and living expenses between now and the end of the games. I hope to use my Olympic experience to bring both pride and development to the people there.”
Contribute to Siphiwe Baleka’s 2021 Olympic Dream in Tokyo GoFundMe Campaign.
About Siphiwe Baleka: Siphiwe Baleka (Si-PEE-way Ba-LAY-ka) is a renowned public speaker who has been featured in Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Guideposts, CNN, BBC, NPR, CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, USA Today and countless other national and international media. Baleka is the founder of Fitness Trucking, LLC, President of the Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society of America and serves as a member of the Inclusive Policy Lab of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization E-Team for the People of African Descent and the Sustainable Development Goals. Baleka has published thirteen books, is a thirteen-time US Masters Swimming National Champion, a three-time USMS National Record holder, and has won four silver medalist at the FINA Masters Swimming World Championships.
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