By sportsnewsarena correspondent
Apr 09, 2015
As she prepares to make her first appearance at the All Africa Games, Emily Muteti, a Kenyan female swimming sensation says she is hungry to pick up medals when the championships go down in September in Congo Brazzaville.
Muteti who at the moment is preparing for the World Long Course Swimming Championships in Kazan says apart from the AAG medals, she also hungers to get qualifying times for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next year.
“This will be the first time that I am participating in the All Africa Games because when they were held last, I had just started swimming professionally and I couldn’t make it. I have participated though in other African events like the African junior championships in 2013 and the CANA championships last year and I believe that experience will help me in Brazzaville,” Muteti told Sportsnewsarena from her training base in Mombasa.
Having participated in the World Short-Course Swimming championships in Doha last year, she hopes she can make personal improvements in Kazan during the Long-course championships but realistically rules out a podium finish.
“The World championships are extremely competitive and the best swimmers in the world come to compete. I wouldn’t be too much ambitious and say I would be going for a semi or final slot because I am still 16 years and yet to pick up much experience,” she acknowledged.
Muteti added: “However, I want to go there and improve my times as well as strive to get an Olympic qualifying time since that has been my dream.”
Coach Abdulkarim aims for one semifinal
Muteti has taken part in the Long-course championships only once, in Spain in 2013 and this will be her second. She believes she can do better and her coach Abdulmalik Abdulkarim believes with good seeding, she can make it into at least one semi.
The coach stated: “She is a very good swimmer with very good work ethic. I believe she can make it into one or two semi finals in Kazan with good seeding. If you are in a pool with fast swimmers, you will always be motivated to do better and while at this, your time improves.”
Muteti joined the Mombasa Aquatic swimming club five years ago from the Dolphin Swimming club and has grown tremendously. She now dreams of swimming in the Olympics and says she will strive to get the qualifying times in Kazan.
“You can only get the qualifying times from a FINA event and that is why I am training hard for Kazan. If worse comes to worse and I fail to get the times in Kazan, then I will need to focus on the African Level III championships in South Africa next year,” Muteti adds.
This is also the dream of United Kingdom-based Issah Abdallah who will be making his first appearance at a senior FINA event. Speaking to SNA from Plymouth University where is currently studying Law Abdallah said; “I am looking forward to the exposure and getting my personal bests in Kazan.
I think it would be an eye-opener and hopefully a springboard to success. Being there and racing with some of the world’s finest will also be a motivation for me as I make my way into a qualifying for the Rio Olympics. I am currently concentrating on my training and my expectation is that I will swim in my best times ever. I feel better, I feel ready to go.”
