Stephen Ndegwa during a past swimming championship/HANDOUTNational team swimmer Stephen Ndegwa has embarked on a two-month training stint in South Africa for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Ndegwa's coach, Fakry Mansoor, believes the camp will sharpen him for what will be a tough duel at the Club Games in July.
“It's great for him to train under top coaches in top-class facilities. The championship (Commonwealth) will be competitive, so he must get a solid training foundation if he is to compete with the top swimmers," said Mansoor.
The Bandari-based swimmer was in superb form at the national long course championships, winning the 50m and 100m backstroke races in 26.67 and 1:02.55, held at Kasarani on May 30-31.
Mansoor believes Ndegwa has the potential to be one of the top swimmers in the country in the years to come. “He works hard and is always improving his times. The future is bright," said Mansoor.
He believes a strong showing at the Commonwealth Games will be a good foundation for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.
“It will be vital for him to have a good showing in Glasgow, which will boost his confidence for the Olympics in two years time,” said Mansoor.
Previous experience from the World Championship in Budapest and Singapore in 2024 will also be key to his development.
Meanwhile, the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) will conduct a swimming coaches' certification course in August in Nairobi.
The programme will cover levels 1-5 and strength and conditioning, providing coaches with an opportunity to enhance their technical expertise, leadership capacity and professional credentials.
ASCA certification remains one of the most respected and globally recognised qualifications in swimming coaching, highly valued by clubs, academies, schools and sports organisations.
