No looking back for Muteti as team heads for Japan gala

Kenya's Emily Muteti looks on during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. [File]

Four foreign-based swimmers led by Olympian Emily Muteti have been named to fly the country's flag at this year's World Aquatic championship to be held in Fukuoka, Japan.

The global showpiece is slated for July 14-30, where swimmers will compete in diving, artistic water swimming, open water, water polo, swimming and high diving.

The Kenyan team, made up of two men and two women based in US, Canada and United Kingdom, will only feature in the swimming competition.

Muteti, who made her debut at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, is pursuing Masters degree in business analytics after her undergraduate degree in criminal justice and psychology at Grand Canyon University,

She has represented Kenya in many international competitions including last year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK.

Maria Brunlehner is also in the team. Maina Monyo, who is based in Canada and UK-based Ridwan Abubakar will compete in the men's category. Both swimmers represented Kenya in last year's Commonwealth Games.

Monyo, who is studying Political Science at Simon Fraser University, teamed up with Abubakar, Muteti and Imara Thorpe to storm into the finals of 4x100m mixed relays at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in their debut.

During the national swimming trials at Kasarani last weekend, local organising committee secretary Collins Marigiri released names of junior swimmers for the seventh edition of the Commonwealth Youth games slated for August 4-11 at the port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Also named was the national junior team for the world junior championships scheduled for Netanya, Israel between September 4-9, where over 600 swimmers from more than 100 countries are expected to compete.

The World Junior Championships will be a test of the event's endurance after a meet last year that was missing several top swimming countries including the US, Australia, and Great Britain.

Most of those nations pulled out when the event was destined for Russia.

Lcal organising committee secretary Collins Marigiri said the junior swimmers were picked on merit while the senior swimmers for the Japan showpiece were named based on their FINA ranking.

"We named the teams early to give coaches enough time to adequately prepare the swimmers," said Marigiri.