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The Nairobian

Paris Olympics 2024: Abubakar and Maria can't wait to prove their worth

Unique Sports

By Ernest Ndunda | Jul 21, 2024

**Kenya’s swimmer Maria Brunlehner.** [Courtesy]

Kenyan swimmer Ridhwan Abubakar is optimistic that his new found dolphin kicks will stun many at the Paris Olympic Games that starts next week in France.

Abubakar and Maria Brunlehner will be the only two Kenyan swimmers at the Summer Games that runs from July 26 to August 11 and the duo have set their eyes beyond the heats.

"I want to go past the heats stages and break my own national 400m freestyle record for the fifth time and see what happens after the heats," said Abubakar.

Abubakar's current 400m free record stands at 4.04.39 he set on June 8 in Croatia.

Abubakar produced a remarkable performance at the Međunarodno Plivačko National Swimming Championship in Croatia to lower his 400m free national record from 4.05.65.

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This latest performance saw Abubakar boost his World Aquatic Points to 730, reaffirming his position as the highest-ranked Kenyan swimmer in terms of points and strengthened his qualification for the Paris Games.

For Maria, her dream is to become the first ever Kenyan female swimmer to win gold at the Olympic Games.
Maria, who has intensified her training at Miramas, Southern France, believes she has trained well for the task ahead.

Maria has been undergoing intensive training since February when she featured at the World Championship in Doha, Qatar.

The United States-based athlete represented Kenya at the women’s 100m freestyle in the 2019 World Aquatic Championship in Gwangju, South Korea, and the African championship in Morocco where she won a bronze medal in the women's 4 × 100 meters medley relay.

Maria also won Kenya a gold medal at the 2018 Africa Youth Games and she is the current national 50m freestyle record holder with a time of 26.12 seconds.

Coach Fakry Mansoor who trained both Abubakar and Maria at Bandari Swimming Club said the duo have gained enough exposure to compete strongly with the rest of the world.

"Abubakar and Maria have been enjoying a good season and we are optimistic of good results," said Mansoor.