•Muteti will represent the country in swimming alongside —Monyo Maina, Imara-Bella Thorpe and Ridhwan Mohammed).
•He believes the training the swimmers underwent during the Danish nationals in Denmark places them at an advantageous position.
Swimming coach Fakhry Mansoor is banking United States-based Emily Muteti to deliver in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Mansoor, however, is wary of the stiff competition that awaits Kenyan swimmers in England. The swimming competition starts on Friday (today).
Muteti will represent the country in swimming alongside —Monyo Maina, Imara-Bella Thorpe and Ridhwan Mohammed) are ready to compete and will post good results.
He believes the training the swimmers underwent during the Danish nationals in Denmark places them at an advantageous position.
“There will be tough competition from other champions but we should brace up for it. Muteti is our experienced swimmer and she has been here before. We don’t want to pressurize her because all competitions are different. In the last event, she went up to the semis and hopefully, this time, we shall see better results from her,” Mansoor said.
He added: “The three (Maina, Thorpe and Mohammed) are debuting in this championships and I am hoping they will attain their personal bests here and gain experience. They are sharp and in good spirits. During their training in Denmark, they were able to post very good results and I am looking forward to a repeat of the same here."
In an interview, Muteti said their training in Denmark was an eye opener for the team to work on their weak areas.
“I believe everyone benefited from that training and if not, then there is room for them to work on their weak areas.
"This year, I’ll be swimming in more than two events unlike last year where I participated in two. Things will be a bit tough but I am optimistic. All these swimmers have potential and I am waiting to see how we shall work as a team,” Muteti said.
On his part, Mohammed who resides in the United Kingdom, expressed his joy to have been selected for the Games for the first time. He said the move has boosted his confidence and he is inspired to go far.
“ I want to increase my potential and also compete at the Olympics in Paris (2024),” he said.
Meanwhile, Maina who stays in Canada and Thorpe (United Kingdom) are also looking forward to a good show and hoping to gain experience.