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Mose stars at Kenya Aquatics National Swimming Championship Gala

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Sara Mose warms up before getting into the pool during a training session at Kasarani Aquatic Center on May 29, 2025.

Photo credit: Geoffrey Anene / Nation Media Group
Geofrey Anene

By  Geoffrey Anene

Contributor

NMG Sport

Sara Mose, Kenya’s second-fastest swimmer in the 50m freestyle, showcased her dominance in the 50m Long Course Meter Freestyle for the 18+ age group at the Kenya Aquatics National Swimming Championship Gala held at the Kasarani Aquatic Centre on Saturday.

Clocking an impressive 26.10 seconds, the Fit Hub club swimmer stunned more seasoned competitors, including 24-year-old Imara Bella Thorpe of Barracuda Aquatics (27.02) and Victoria Okumu from USIU-A Dolphins SC (29.28), who finished second and third respectively.

Born in Poland to a Kenyan father and Polish mother, the 18-year-old Sara returned to Kenya two weeks before the championship to train and acclimatise in readiness for the hunt for the World Championship ticket.

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She described the competition as tough but welcomed the challenge, expressing her excitement to compete against strong swimmers in her category. Mose also plans to compete in 100 Freestyle, 50 Breaststroke, and 50 Butterfly at Kasarani.

In the 200m butterfly for girls, 11-year-old Havya Shah from Kenton College took the spotlight with a time of 3:16.32. She outdid Salima Omar of Bandari SC (3:26.65) and Leyna Borega from North Coast SC (3:41.51).

Inspired by the national event, Havya described the experience as “humbling” and shared her dream of representing Kenya one day.

Meet Director Max Kanyerezi, a World Aquatics Technical Committee Member and Chair of Africa Aquatics Zone 3, commended Kenya’s preparations.

He highlighted the quality of the pool and supporting infrastructure, adding that the recorded times would play a key role in team selections for the upcoming global championships.

Omar Omari, Technical Director of Kenya Aquatics and Coach at Crawford International School said the strong participation demonstrated the growing popularity of swimming in Kenya and reaffirmed the country’s readiness to host future events, including Africa Aquatics Zone 3 competitions.

The three-day championship gala, which started on Friday, concludes on June 1. According to Kenya Aquatics, the winning times will be instrumental in selecting athletes to represent Kenya at the Senior World Aquatics Championships in Singapore (July 2025) and the Junior World Championships in Romania (August 2025), as the nation looks to make its mark on the international swimming stage.