Maria Bianchi with her medals from a past swimming competition/HANDOUT Kenya Aquatics (KA) executive member, Heize Kahindo, believes their participation in the recent World Open Water Championships in Singapore was an eye-opener.
He said, considering they were making their debut in the event, they will now focus on training camps and exposure to get ready for future events.
"This being the first time we were competing in the event, I believe our swimmers put up commendable performances, and we can only get better,” said Kahindo.
He said water conditions were the toughest that the swimmers had faced, with jellyfish bites and warm water, unlike the Doha event last year, where the water was cooler.
“ The water conditions were challenging, but I believe the experience gained in Singapore will be key for swimmers in future competitions,” he noted
In Singapore, Samir Bachaleni was time-barred in the 10km with the rules stipulating that swimmers be removed if they have not completed the race distance within 15 minutes of the winner.
In the 5km, Victoria Okumu and Tariq Igbal found the going tough and were within 300m of the finishing line, having done 4.7 km and had to be evacuated.
Hungary-based swimmer Maria Bianchi, Swaleh Taib, Ariel Joseph and Serah Mawira competed and qualified for the second round but were then eliminated.
Team Kenya also fielded a mixed relay team, comprising Bianchi, Mawira, Bachelani and Ariel Joseph in the 3km and finished 23 out of 52 countries.
He said the Singapore experience will be beneficial to the team ahead of the Africa Senior Open Water Championships here in Kenya in October.
“ The Africa event is two months away, so we are planning on having a training camp for three weeks to ensure our swimmers are well prepared for the rigours of the event,” Kahindo noted.
He added that the countries that are very active on the continent include South Africa, Egypt and Angola.
“ The three countries are some of the top on the continent, but I am confident that in the next one to two years, with the pathway programme and competition, we can match them in the discipline."
