Kenya Aquatics technical director Omar Omari believes the four Kenyan swimmers to the World championships in Singapore later this month can attain the A qualification standards for the Los Angeles Olympics in three years.
Omari said the country cannot continue relying on Universality slots courtesy of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or World Aquatics.
“Going forward, we must look at ways of improving our swimmers to get the standard qualification times instead of relying on the previous arrangement, and this is the only way our swimmers will grow and become competitive,” added Omari.
Stephen Ndegwa and Haniel Kudwoli will represent Team Kenya in the boys category, while Imara Bella Thorpe and Sara Mose will battle in the girls’ category.
Omari said the target for the quartet will be to improve their personal bests and get to the final in their respective races, as well as compete in the freestyle mixed relay.
“The swimmers have trained very hard. Remember, these swimmers were in Budapest last year, so they know the competition they are up against and the level of performance expected from them,” noted Omari.
Omari, who is the swimming head coach at Crawford International School, believes the country can send more swimmers to events like the Commonwealth Games and African Games if the swimmers and coaches craft a solid programme.
“Most of the time we have been restricted to four swimmers, but if we work together and attain the qualification to send more swimmers to these events, which in turn will expose them before the Olympics,” observed Omari.
Omari said the federation is coming up with structures and plans to ensure a pathway for talented swimmers from across regions to match the best in the world.
“Going forward, the federation is sitting with the various coaches across the country to develop talent identification programmes, training camps, mentoring sessions and exposure to ensure we have well-rounded swimmers who can compete at the highest level”, observed Omari.
Elsewhere, the American Coaches Swimming Association (ASCA) in collaboration with the Private and International Preparatory Sports Association (PIPSAA) will have an elite coaching programme from August 11-16 at Crawford International School and will be led by Sarah Holman, a globally respected swimming coach and educator
The training programme will be designed to elevate competitive swimmers and coaches to the next level.
by WILLIAM NJUGUNA
