Chris Mugo of the Thika Swim Academy in action during the Kiambu Aquatics meeting/  HANDOUT 

The National Time Trials have attracted more than 250 swimmers from over 40 clubs, setting the stage for two days of intense competition at Potterhouse Senior School this weekend.

Kenya Aquatics technical director Omar Omari said preparations were complete for the short-course championships, with swimmers seeking to post times good enough to earn places in the national team. “We are more than ready.

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The technical officials have been adequately trained, and the venue is also ready,” said Omari. “The coaches have done their job, and now it is up to the athletes to prove themselves. We expect competitive racing because there is a lot at stake, particularly with selection to the national team,” he added.

The trials will be used as a yardstick to select Kenya’s team for the 11th Africa Aquatics Swimming Championships in Kampala, Uganda, next month. The field brings together swimmers from established programmes and emerging clubs, with the depth of entries expected to produce close contests across the programme.

Among the clubs entered are Thika Swim Academy, Braeburn Swimming Club, Bandari Swim Club, Mombasa Aquatic Pro Swim Academy, Golden Elites Swim Team, Hydra Aquatics Club and Rware Swim Club.

Others include Rapids Swim Club, Torpedo, Amazi Dolphins, Aqua Elite Swim Academy Nakuru, Aqua Shark, Fin Genesis Sports Limited, Kenton College, Little Fish Swim Club, Swimfit Classic and Kisumu.

Omari said the wide geographical spread of the entries gives the championships a truly national character, with swimmers coming from Nairobi, the Coast, Mt Kenya, Nyanza and other swimming centres.

Performances over the two days will provide selectors with the basis for assembling the Kenya squad for the Kampala championships. The trials also usher in a busy period for Kenya Aquatics, with the federation preparing for a series of continental and global assignments, including the Dakar Youth Olympics from October 31 to November 13 and the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Beijing from December 1-6.