US-based swimmer Maria Brunlehner is optimistic about shattering her 50m freestyle national record of 26.12 seconds at the Paris Olympics.
The Grand Canyon University student punched her ticket to Paris at the Doha World Championships in February, earning 789 World Aquatics points. It is at Doha that she set the personal best.
She joins Ridhwan Mohammed (men's 200m freestyle and breaststroke events) in Paris.
It will be Maria's Olympic debut, which she wants to make memorable by splashing to a personal milestone.
“I am hoping to break the national record. I will give my best to accomplish that dream,” she added.
“The Olympics are the peak of any sport. It’s an honour to compete in Paris and a chance to show what I have been training for,” she said.
Maria believes a remarkable performance will console her sister, Sylvia, who narrowly missed out on a ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“My sister couldn't qualify for the Olympic Games. I'll be doing this for her,” she noted.
Maria hopes to learn from her experienced training mate and Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Emily Muteti, to make the most of this rare chance.
“Emily has been to the Olympics, where she did a great job,” said Maria.
In Tokyo, Muteti placed fourth (26.31) in the women’s 50m freestyle trailing Albania’s Nikol Merizaj (26.21), Elinah Philip of Britain (25.74) and Ecuador’s Anicka Delgdo (25.36).
Maria’s accolades include a 4x100m medley relay bronze medal from the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco, alongside Sylvia, Rebecca Kamau and Muteti. They clocked 4:21.72.
Egypt (4:20.07) and South Africa (4:12.42) claimed silver and gold respectively.
She has a silver medal in the 50m breaststroke (33.77) from the 2019 international Gothaer and Friends Meet in Germany.
Maria competed in the 100m freestyle and breaststroke at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, but failed to proceed past the heats.
