Kenyan swimmer Haniel Kudwoli has won a bronze medal for Kenya at the 2026 Africa Aquatic Swimming Championship in Oran, Algeria, and set a new Kenyan national record of 28.62 seconds.
Haniel set the new record after breaking his own set record of 29.32 seconds in the men’s 50m breaststroke.
“Congrats to Haniel Kudwoli. He won a bronze medal for Kenya at the Africa Aquatics Swimming Championship in Algeria,” read a congratulatory message from Carol Radull on her X account.
In the swimming category of Men’s 50m Breaststroke, 19 years and older, Haniel was in third place in the competition. Despite his overall position in the competition, he set a new Kenyan national record.
As a swimmer who came from a sporting family, Kudwoli started actively engaging in swimming in 2010 at the Swim Africa.
Further, in 2012, as he honed his swimming skills at St. Mary’s School in Nairobi, his talent was identified, and he was recommended to the Otters Swim Club.
According to reports in Daily Nation, coach Gerald Atek is the one who recommended the swim star to the Otters Swim Club, where he has been a member since 2017, and has often focused on his breaststroke.
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About Haniel Kudwoli
Born on February 2 2006, the swimmer is currently 20 years old according to the World Aquatic record, in the breaststroke discipline.
He is the son of Fatuma Kudwoli and Eric Kudwoli and a brother to Ariella Kudwoli.
His mother was involved in CrossFit, while his father played rugby in Mombasa and Nairobi, and his sister is a football player.
Career and Training
Haniel often trains in the early-morning pool session at Otters under the coaching of Shirley Maina.
According to the swimmer, American Cody Miller and Kenyan swimmers such as Jason Dunford and Amar Shah inspire him.
In his career, he has held Kenyan records in both long-course and short-course breaststroke swimming competitions.
Further, Haniel’s longstanding short course 50m breaststroke record was set in 2023, where he finished the swimming at 29.45s.
As he continued competing, his finish time improved to 28.62s in the long course at the 2026 Africa Champs, recording improved fastness in the short-course marks.
In addition, the swimmer has competed in continental junior swimming competitions and won multiple medals, including gold, silver, and bronze, at the CANA Zone III/IV Championships between 2021 and 2022.
On the other hand, at the senior continental swimming competition, he won a bronze medal, setting a new Kenyan record.
At the world level, Haniel competed at the World Aquatics Championships in the short course in 2024 in Budapest.
Further, in the world competition, Haniel competed in long-course swimming in 2025 in Singapore and aims for the 2028 championship in Los Angeles.
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Personal Best
According to the World Aquatic selection performance, the best performance was his timed record of 28.27 seconds in the 50m breaststroke competition in a 25-meter pool.
In the same event in the long course, that is, the standard Olympic pool, he swam at 29.32, setting a Kenyan national record in 2025.
Haniel set a new record of 28.62 seconds in the long course on May 9, 2026, at the Africa Championships.
