Jackson Niyomugabo (born 18 April 1988) is a Rwandan Olympic swimmer. He is originally from Kibuye in Rwanda's western region. He grew up swimming in the waters of

Lake Kivu Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, whic ...

on the border between Rwanda and the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

. His father died early in Jackson's life, and Jackson found strength from his mother, who farms the family's small plot of land in the mountains above

. Niyomugabo's humble background did not afford him opportunities for extensive professional training. He learned to swim from reading a book provided to him from a high school teacher. He built endurance and stamina by swimming between the mountain top islands in the lake, and was occasionally granted permission to swim in a tourist hotel in the capital, Kigali. Niyomugabo competed in the 2007 World Aquatics Championship in Australia, although he did not win a medal. He represented the

Republic of Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equato ...

in swimming during the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics.

References

1988 births Living people Rwandan male swimmers Male long-distance swimmers Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers for Rwanda People from Karongi District {{Rwanda-swimming-bio-stub