Ajulu-Bushell granted permission to compete at London 2012 for Great Britain

ACHIENG Ajulu-Bushell has been granted permission to compete for Great Britain at London 2012, after an International Olympic Committee ruling.

Achieng Ajulu-Bushell has been granted permission to compete for Great Britain at London 2012, after an International Olympic Committee ruling (Getty Images)

The 16-year-old, who caught the eye with a series of impressive displays at the British Championships last month, represented Kenya at last summer's World Championships in Rome.

The breaststroke specialist was born in Manchester to an English mother and Kenyan father, Ajulu-Bushell moved to Africa before returning in September 2007 and enrolling at Plymouth College, where she is a class-mate of diving world champion Tom Daley.

IOC rules state that there must be a three-year gap between representing different countries which would have ruled the swimmer out of London 2012 by just four days.

But the IOC exercised its power to relax the rule after both the British Olympic Association and Kenya's equivalent agreed upon the move.

Ajulu-Bushell is also free to compete for England at October's Commonwealth Games, having booked her place in Sheffield last month.