Dunford Brothers out of World Championships

{{For seven years, they have dominated Kenya swimming competitions giving fans new imagination of the country widening its medal scope at major championships.}}

But for the first time, Kenya will be heading to Barcelona, Spain for the FINA World Championships without the famed Jason Dunford and his brother David Dunford. The championships will run from July 22 to Aug. 4.

“We have to come up with a strong team for the championships. It is true, the two have curved a niche for themselves in the sport, especially from Kenya, but swimming is bigger than the two and the country must move on,” Kenya Swimming Federation (KSF) treasurer David Ngugi said on Monday.

Jason and David have opted to skip the World Championships to concentrate on the Glasgow Commonwealth Games next year in Scotland.

In the absence of the duo, Kenya hopes will be pegged on youngsters Silvia Brunlehner, Emily Muteti and Hamdan Bayusuf, who gained entry to the event via wild card. The trio are all from Mombasa.

Ngugi, however, pointed out that, it is not about Kenya winning medals at the World Championships, but for the team of youngsters to gain the experience and big stage performance that will go a long way in preparing the country for both Commonwealth Games and the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The Dunford sibling have been outstanding on global stage ever since they won Kenya first international medal(s) in 2006 Dakar African Swimming Championships.

{xinhua}