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Kenya's swimming sensation Talisa Popat Lanoe set a new national record in the girls' 200m backstroke at the 16th Annual FINA World Championships that concluded in Kazan, Russia on Sunday.
Lanoe clocked 2:24.45 to drop more than two seconds from her previous record in the category. She completed her first 100m in 1:09.6, finished second in 1:14.85 before clearing the last lap in 2:24.45 to set the new official national record.
The US-based student swimmer also bettered her national record in girls' 100m backstroke in 1:07.00. She also knocked four seconds from her previous 100m girls' freestyle time (1:05.96). This new time of 1:01.96 now ranks Lanoe as one of the top four freestyle swimmers in the country.
"This being my first time in long course at the worlds, I am happy with my new achievement, I hope to win medals in future world championships," Lanoe, 20, told FeverPitch in Nairobi on Tuesday.
Her coach Kathleen Prindle said she is impressed with Lanoe's performance despite not winning a medal at the FINA World Championships.
This was the first Long Course Meters World Championships for Lanoe having participated in three previous Short Course Meters championships and with her solid performances in Russia; she says she has her eyes firmly set on Rio for Team Kenya.
"I am glad that the impressive performance at the worlds has already cemented my slot for next month's All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville. My mission in Congo will be to earn a place in Team Kenya for 2016 Rio Olympics," Lanoe said.
She added: "My target is the Olympics slot and I am training every day to achieve the dream of swimming at the Games. My performance in Russia has encouraged me."
Kenya was represented by four swimmers including Emily Muteti, Hamdan Bayusuf, Lanoe and Issa Abdalla at the FINA World Championships.
Kenya Swimming Federation noted that the four were selected to represent the country at the World Championships owing to their good performances in recent local and international championships.
"We gave them a chance to face the best in the world. We believe they got the needed experience to conquer the All Africa Games and qualify for the Olympics," KSF liaison officer Mike Abuya said on Tuesday.
From Russia, the swimmers now head to Congo Brazzaville for the All Africa Games where they will be hoping to win Rio 2016 Olympic Games slots.
Abdalla, 20, who specialises in freestyle and butterfly, recently joined the Plymouth Leander Swimming Club in the UK where he trains alongside Bayusuf.
Meanwhile, Muteti recently broke her own three-year record in the 400m Individual medley race, tapping the wall in a time of 5:37:46. She shed off three seconds of her record set in 2012 during the African Swimming Championships in Nairobi.
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