Young talent pick of bunch in successful year for Kenya Aquatics
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Reading Time: 3min | Sun. 29.12.24. | 15:30
In addition to the youngsters dominating in and outside Kenya, the swimming veterans also demonstrated the importance of maintaining active participation in the sport across all age groups
Kenya Aquatics President Dr Maureen Owiti has praised the country’s young swimming prodigies for their immense value this year, even as she plans to unearth more talent in 2025.
After putting their house in order late in 2023, Kenya Aquatics enjoyed a rather decent year in 2024. It qualified swimmers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, hosted historic regional tournaments, and achieved significant milestones at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Front and centre of the steady progress were swimmers Maria Brunlehner and Ridhwan Mohammed - who both carried the nation’s hopes at the Summer Games after claiming the cherished Universality spots.
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And despite them going deep in their individual events, they both left with their heads held high as 24-year-old Brunlehner clocked a personal best time of 25.82 in the 50m freestyle while Mohammed accomplished a long-life dream finishing his 400m freestyle heat in a time of 4:05.14.
Elsewhere, young talents - Sarah Mose, Haniel Kudwoli, Imara Bella Thorpe and Stephen Ndegwa took to the international stage in December at the World Aquatics Championships (25m) in Budapest.
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Among the notable performances by the quartet was in the Mixed 4 × 50m Freestyle Relay, where the Kenyan team set a new national record with a time of 1:37.53.
Similarly, in the Mixed 4 × 50m Medley Relay, the team recorded an outstanding time of 1:47.63, establishing another national record.
These achievements not only highlighted Kenya's growing competitiveness but also showcased the country’s potential in team events on a global platform.
"The young ones have shown that they are ready to fill the gap that the exiting elite athletes left,” Owiti noted, adding that all of Kudwoli, Ndegwa and Mose were already in the pathway for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
On the domestic scene, the Kenya Aquatics National Masters Swimming Championship took place at Sabis International School, drawing participation from seasoned swimmers across the nation.
The event highlighted the depth and resilience of Kenyan swimming veterans and demonstrated the importance of maintaining active participation in the sport across all age groups.
Meanwhile, the younger generation had their moment at the Kenya National Junior Swimming Championship, held in Uasin Gishu, Eldoret.
This championship provided an invaluable platform for upcoming swimmers to gain competitive experience and exhibit their raw talent, reaffirming the importance of grassroots development programs in nurturing the next wave of elite athletes.
And despite the leaps, Owiti understands the need to invest in more grassroots programs for 2025, to keep the talent chain moving, as well as advance the sport in the nation.
To that, she said: “Development swimming has not been forgotten. We believe in the development of swimming at the grassroots since it is the program that feeds the advanced programs.
“We have been supporting upcoming counties, clubs, and coaches. We have several partners and friends of swimming ready to support our initiatives and take Kenyan swimming to greater heights."
With 2024 hugely successful, an action-packed 2025 awaits the Kenyan aquatics scene.
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