Kenya Aquatics plots to qualify two swimmers for LA 2028

Team Kenya Open water swimmers at the Africa championships held in Mombasa in October/ HANDOUT

Plans are underway for Kenya Aquatics to send two swimmers to compete in the open water swimming event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Kenya Aquatics Executive Committee member and national coordinator for Open Water Swimming, Heize Kahindo, revealed that the federation has rolled out a long-term athlete development programme aimed at qualifying at least one male and one female swimmer for the 10-kilometre marathon swim.

"Kenya is aiming to qualify at least two swimmers, one male and one female, for the 10-kilometre marathon swim. If more athletes reach the qualifying standards, they will also be selected. The goal is to have Kenya well represented in one of the toughest races in Olympic swimming,” said Kahindo.

Coaching and training form a central pillar of the programme. Kahindo said plans are in place to train and certify more coaches in open water swimming, noting that building technical capacity will be crucial to success.

He singled out coaches Fahkry Mansour and Monica Githinji for embracing the discipline and laying strong foundations for open water programmes, while urging clubs to broaden their focus beyond short sprint events.

“Events like 1,500 metres, 3,000 metres, 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres are now important for Kenya’s future in the sport,” Kahindo noted. Kahindo, who also sits on the Africa Aquatics Open Water Swimming Committee, said interest in the discipline has grown steadily since the Africa Aquatics Open Water Swimming High Performance Training Camp held in Zanzibar last year.

The camp brought together swimmers, coaches and officials from across the continent, offering many their first exposure to competitive open water racing.

Since then, momentum has continued to build, driven in part by Africa Aquatics president Dr Mohammed Diop, who has prioritised the growth of the discipline across the continent.

This year, Africa Aquatics directed every zone to organise at least one competitive open water event, giving swimmers opportunities to race, gain experience and attract international attention.

Kenya will next test its progress on the global stage by sending a team to the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Italy in October. Kenyan swimmers will also compete at the World Aquatics Junior Open Water Championships in Argentina in September.

“These events will allow our swimmers to test their endurance, race tactics and mental strength against some of the best athletes in the world,” Kahindo said. If you’d like, I can now provide a headline or a shorter version for print or online use.