Achieng Ajulu-Bushell

Background

Born to a British mother and a Kenyan father, Ajulu-Bushell left Britain for South Africa at the age of 3, but then spent ten years living in Kenya with her mother and sisters.

Career

Prior to 2010, she swam internationally for Kenya. She learned to swim in the Indian Ocean at the age of 4, and swam her first competition at 6. She also represented Kenya at the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Italy.

In early 2010, Ajulu-Bushell made the decision to start swimming for Great Britain, and after a customary period without representing Kenya (1 year) and with clearance from the Kenya federation, began swimming from Great Britain.

Ajulu-Bushell withdrew from competitive swimming in 2012, following a plateau in form, and did not seek entry to the 2012 Games. In February 2012, she announced the withdrawal was permanent.

In October 2012 she took up a place to read Fine Art and Philosophy at Brasenose College, Oxford.

Achievements

• Swimming for Kenya, she won two gold medals at the 2008 African Swimming Championships (50m and 100m breaststroke), becoming the first female to win medals for Kenya at the African Championships. She made her senior British debut at the 2010 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and went on to compete for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Connections

classmate:

Tom Daley