Kiran to train in Miami to prepare for Olympics

Pakistan's fastest female swimmer enrolls in a bid to qualify.

LAHORE: Pakistan star swimmer Kiran Khan departed for Miami to gear up for the 2012 Olympic qualifying rounds. Kiran, who won 15 gold medals at the recently-concluded women’s swimming championship at the National Games, is planning to use the high-tech facilities available in the US to improve her skills and enhance her stokes before contesting  in the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, scheduled for July 16 to 31.

The tournament will feature five aquatic disciplines including swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronised swimming. Portions of the championship will most likely serve as part of the qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

“I can’t train well here in Pakistan only because of the facilities,” Kiran told The Express Tribune. “So I applied for the training programme in Miami 12 months ago. It’s a privilege for a Pakistani swimmer to train there under them.”

“My department is very keen for me to improve,” said Kiran. “These facilities will guarantee me to book a berth in the qualifying round of the Olympics in Shanghai. I don’t know whether I can qualify for the London Olympics but I am sure after the training programme I will definitely be an improved athlete.”

Kiran became Pakistan’s fastest female swimmer at the National Games and has won several medals for Pakistan at the South Asian Games and the South Asian Swimming and Water Polo Championships. She has also participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics as a wild card entry, and currently holds 12 national records and has won five gold medals for Pakistan in international events.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2011.