Kodonde bags six medals at Africa Aquatics Zone 3 Championships

The 12-year-old swimmer from Braeburn Swimming Club – Mombasa claimed one silver and five bronze medals in the age category of 12–13 years, delivering an impressive performance against some of the region's promising young swimmers.

Kodonde secured silver in the 100-metre breaststroke and bronze medals in the 50-metre and 200-metre breaststroke events. He also finished third in the 50-metre freestyle before helping Kenya's under-14 teams win bronze in the 200-metre freestyle relay and the 200-metre medley relay.

The youngster further demonstrated his progress by setting a personal best in the 200-metre individual medley, finishing sixth after improving his time from 2:59.80 to 2:53.73.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, Braeburn Swimming Club – Mombasa coach Vald Mazazi praised Kodonde's performance, noting that the swimmer had made significant progress despite moving into a more competitive age category.

“He was selected to represent the country, and he actually made a very big improvement, considering that he transitioned from one age category to another, moving from the 10–11 age group to the 12–13 age group, where he is now building a good profile,” said Mazazi.

The coach, however, identified areas that Kodonde needs to improve, particularly his breaststroke technique and endurance in the longer distances.

“The part that he really has to work on is aligning his breaststroke technique. Overall, he also needs to keep pushing in the 200 metres, which he did well in,” he added.

Mazazi expressed confidence in the youngster's potential, saying continued discipline and consistency could propel him towards becoming one of Kenya's leading swimmers.

“It is all about continuity. If he continues with the same discipline and consistency, there is a high chance he can make it to the top and become one of the top Kenyan swimmers,” he said.

With the 2026 swimming calendar drawing to a close, Kodonde will now turn his attention to an ambitious 2027 season, which could provide further opportunities to showcase his talent on the international stage.

Among the anticipated competitions are the World School Swimming Championships scheduled for May 7–9, 2027, at the London Aquatics Centre, and the Africa Aquatics Zone 3 Championships set to take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in October.