Brunlehner set for Olympic debut

Grand Canyon swimmer Maria Brunlehner is set to make her Olympic debut Saturday with plenty of international experience heading into the Paris Games.

Brunlehner will compete for Kenya in a 50-meter freestyle qualifying heat at 2:16 a.m. (Phoenix time). Maria at Olympic opening ceremony

In February, Brunlehner set the then-Kenyan national record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 26.12 seconds. With Brunhlenhner as the anchor, Kenya's mixed freestyle 4x100-meter relay set another national record with a time of 3 minutes, 42.28 seconds. These results assisted in Brunhlehner claiming points to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Brunlehner, a native of Mombasa, Kenya, will swim in the seventh heat of 10 at La Defense Arena. She is the only female Kenya swimmer at the Paris Games because of the World Aquatics Universality system, which rewards points for a swimmer's best performance in international competition.

The GCU senior trained in Miramas, France, under Lopes head coach Steve Schaffer at the Kenya Olympic team training camp to lead up to the start of the games.

Brunlehner took part in the Opening Ceremony and is ready to compete on swimming's final weekend, a little more than a week into the Olympics.

"It's been a great experience," Brunlehner told Nation. "I've been able to meet different athletes from other sports."

At a young age, Brunlehner moved to Germany with her mother and was accepted into a sports school to receive better training in swimming. After graduating and taking time off, Brunlehner began contact with Schaffer. She believes that if it was not for the coaches, fellow student-athletes and university support at GCU, she may not have made it this far in her career.

"I want to get a best time and break the (Kenyan) record," Brunlehner said ahead of her race when speaking with Nation.

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