Nairobi,Kenya: The future of Kenyan swimming is in doubt, especially at the FINA World Championships, which take place in Barcelona, Spain from July 22 to August 4.
With luminaries — Jason and David Dunford — opting to skip the championships, it will be interesting to see how the country fairs on at the event. Kenya is represented by three youngsters Silvia Brunlehner, Emily Muteti and Hamdan Bayusuf, all who gained entry to the event through wild card selection.
This means they did not meet the qualification standards and had to be drafted into the competition, to give it a global look and promote the sport across all countries.
Jason and David, arguably two of the greatest swimmers ever to come out of Africa, are said to have opted out of the Championships in order to fully concentrate on Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The three swimmers, all based in Mombasa, may not compete effectively in Montreal due to inexperience but their performance will be a pointer on the direction Kenyan swimming will take after the Dunfords.
The Dunford sibling have been outstanding on global stage ever since they won Kenya first international medal(s) in 2006 Dakar African Swimming Championships. The two brothers have recorded several firsts like being the first to represent Kenya at Olympics and World Championships.
No local swimmer has ever come close to matching the achievements of the Dunfords. This gives swimming enthusiasts solid reasons to worry about post-Dunfords era.
The performance of Brunlehner, Muteti and Bayusuf in recent continental event in Zambia places them among swimmers eyeing to fit into the shoes of the Dunfords. The trio was among 36 swimmers, who reaped a total of 80 medals — 26 gold, 26 silver and 28 bronze — during African Championships Zone Three and Four held in Zambia last April.
Bayusuf bagged 10 medals among them eight gold and two bronze while Muteti managed seven gold and three bronze. Other upcoming swimmers who are inspired by the Dunfords include Daniella Awori (15), Ayushi Chandaria (15), Martha Opiyo (15), Anita Field (15), Ger Ogot (13), Maria Brunlehner (13) and Akinyi Ogot (16). Issa Abdallah (18), Micah Fernandez (15), Tory Praganza (15) and Roy Kiruri (14).
With just under three years to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kenya’s next generation of swimmers may not be ripe to compete at high profile events.
Kenya Swimming Federation (KSF) treasurer David Ngugi concurred that although there is abundant talent in the country, a lot need be done to develop it.
He proposes that the Government must include standards pools in its plan for constructing new stadia.
By Oscar Pilipili, The Standard
