Nkhotakota is one of the lakeshore districts in the central region of Malawi as the beautiful Lake Malawi which makes it possible to produce more fishermen.
Victor Chiusiwa utilised the advantage of having a lake at a door step by learning to swim and made it a hobby.
Today, Victor has managed to put Malawi on the map as he won bronze medal at this year’s Special Olympics World Games that took place in (Berlin) Germany.
“I am very excited being one of the overall winner among skilled professional swimmers across the world. It was my first time boarding an aeroplane and travelling outside the country to represent my primary school. I was nervous but the boldness in me pushed my instincts to do what I know best,” said Victor.
Victor, a 15- year-old boy in Standard 6 at Linga Primary School in the district acknowledged to ProjectM that he is not good at school in terms of class performances but says he is determined to achieve his dream by maximising and improving in his swimming skills.
Victor urged parents to nurture and let children follow their dreams, alluding to that, the bronze medal has made his parents realise their sons potential and they are now supporting him.
He said: “Getting a bronze medal is a dream come true for me. My parents used to discourage me to concentrate on my swimming career despite telling them that it is my hobby but I was restricted from doing it. Currently, emerging as a winner for the Special Olympics has changed their mindset.”
The Special Olympics World Games are the world’s largest inclusive sports event.
Thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities participated in the games.
