Kennice Greene ready for Olympics splash

VINCENTIAN SWIMMER, Kennice Greene, one of three debutants to the 2024 Paris Olympics, is looking forward to represent St Vincent and the Grenadines, and do her “best” when she competes in the Women’s 50m Freestyle on August 3.

Greene, 17, along with Alex Joachim, received universality places thus getting the opportunity to show their wares at the Paris Olympics and, she plans to make the occasion count.

“ I am just going out there to do my best, hoping to improve my times and break the national record…I am focused on doing my best, whilst not putting too much pressure on myself,” the young athlete told SEARCHLIGHT.

Greene got the nod after a string of performances that included local, regional and international competitions, along with two and half weeks at a training camp in Florida, in June.

“ My training for two and a half weeks in Florida with the Azura Camp was really good, It had others who are attending the Olympics, so the coaches pushed us hard and for me really making sure that I got my technique right,” Greene indicated before jetted off to France, via Martinique last Monday, July 22.

Meanwhile, Greene’s coach, Kyle Dougan is happy with the progress that she has been making over the past eight months.

“ Kennice has been training well all year… She had a very good Carifta Games… Since, our focus has been the Olympics….

“…we will have a few days before she competes to get accustomed to the difference in time zones and get used to the training at the Olympic size pool, ” Dougan said.

Realistic about Greene’s chances at the World’s largest Games, Dougan reasoned, “ Like I say to all swimmers at these high-level Games, just go there and do their best, hopefully, she will be able to swim her personal best time and if she does that she has a very good chance of breaking the St Vincent and the Grenadines record and that will be satisfying in itself”.

Additionally, Dougan would like for Greene to at least win her heat, which he said, “will give us some good exposure at the Games and on television which has a global audience”.

Apart from Greene and Joachim, St Vincent and the Grenadines is being represented at the July 26 to August 11, Paris Olympics, by athletes Handal Roban and Shafiqua Maloney, who will compete in the Men’s and Women’s 800m respectively.