Top swimmers Bianchi, Kudwoli eye continental

Maria Bianchi in a past action. [File]

Kenya's multiple record holder and rising star Maria Bianchi says the Olympic Games as her main goal as she prepares to lead 21 swimmers to the Africa Junior Swimming Championship in Mauritius.

Also named in the Kenyan squad that comprises rising stars is Haniel Kudwoli who is fresh from setting a new national record at the last weekend's international Speedo invitational championship in Dubai.

Bianchi, who is currently one of the top female swimmers in the country has an even more ambitious goal of swimming at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

With her several medals from the recent CANA Zone Three swimming championship in Uganda, the Mombasa-based girl hopes that she could add more glory to her biography soon by making it to Paris but her main focus is the continental meet scheduled for December 6-9 in Mauritius.

"I have been training hard and my focus now is to win more medals and set my best personal timings at the Africa Junior Swimming Championship and probably try to meet the Olympic qualifying times," said Bianchi.

Her Blue Ocean swimming club head coach Mohammed Ahmed has also been named as the coach of the Mauritius-bound team.

Ahmed will be assisted by coach Mary Njogu from Braeburn Swimming Club. Elizabeth Chelagat is the team manager.

Teenager Kudwoli who erased Jason Dunford's 50m breaststroke record last Saturday in Dubai is also in the squad.

Kudwoli, a swimmer at Nairobi's Otters Swimming Club set a new national record of 29.45 to smash Jason's 29.72 national record set in 2010.

Despite the new record, Kudwoli had his best times in the 50 free and 100m breaststroke where he posted 24.51 and 1.05 42 respectively.

Other top swimmers with national experience are Nathan Matimu, Sara Mose and Aker Mutinda among others.