NAIROBI, Kenya, March 12 – Kenyan swimmers Sarah Mose and Swaleh Talib found the going tough at the ongoing African Games in Accra, Ghana as they finished outside of the qualifying places for their respective competitions.
Mose finished third in the women’s 50m breaststroke, clocking 34.94 as Simone Moll of South Africa took top honours in 31.96.
Mauritius’ Ruth Tessa Chun Kiaw finished second in 34.45.
Mose was also in contention in Heat 1 of the women’s 100m backstroke where she finished fifth after timing 1:11.52.
Talib finished seventh in the men’s 50m breaststroke after clocking 33.57.
The two are part of a quartet — the others including Imara Bella and Stephen Ndegwa — who are/were hoping to secure vital qualifying mark for this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
Furthermore, they were hoping to follow in the footsteps of past Kenyan swimmers, such as Jason and David Dunford who shone at the 2003 African Games in Abuja, Nigeria as well as eight years later in Maputo, Mozambique.
Jason bagged three gold medals in 2003 after clinching the men’s 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 200m butterfly before adding two more titles in Maputo in 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly.
Meanwhile, David won gold in the 100m freestyle final in 2011.
At the last edition of the championships in Rabat, Morocco, Sylvia Brunlehner, Rebecca Kamau, Emily Muteti and Maria Brunlehner clinched bronze in the 4x400m relay.
