NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 4 – National women’s cricket coach Francis Ndege has labelled their outing at last month’s Kwibuka T20 Tournament in Rwanda a success despite relinquishing their title to Tanzania.

The five-time champions lost by 44 runs to their East African neighbours as Tanzania reclaimed the title they last won in 2019.

However, Ndege said there are a lot of positives to pick from the competition and has backed the ladies to get better with time.

“The loss is not really something to regret. In fact, we exceeded expectations because the team we took to Rwanda is a very young one. We are building a team for the future and that is why we are trying to induct as many young players as possible. As the new coach, the tournament was an opportunity to try out new tactics and assess what we need to go to the next level,” he said.

One of the positives, according to the coach, is 21-year-old Kelvia Ogola who made her international debut against Nigeria, a match that Kenya won by 42 runs.

Ndege has tipped the youngster for a great future if she manages to keep her feet down and head up in focus on her goals.

“She is a very talented and young cricketer who is among many who represent the future of the sport in Kenya. If she refines the rough edges in her game, she can be a very good bowler and fielder. We are looking forward to having many more like her in the national set-up,” he said.

Ndege added that the team will be keeping an eye on possible tournaments that can help them garner more playing experience.

“As of now, there is no specific competition that we are planning to participate in. However, we are working closely with the federation (Cricket Kenya), specifically the director of women’s cricket, to identify opportunities for the team to gain more playing experience,” he explained.

The eight-year-old Kwibuka T20 Tournament is held annually to commemorate the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

This year’s edition featured eight teams including Rwanda, Uganda, Germany, Nigeria, Botswana, Brazil, Tanzania and Kenya.

The post Women’s cricket coach Ndege optimistic despite Kwibuka heartbreak appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 4 – Failing to prepare is preparing to fail and the Kenya Morans reaped heavily the fruits of a horrendous and troublesome build up to the second round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualification group stage matches after earning back to back losses in Egypt over the weekend.

The Morans’ travel to Egypt where the second phase of group stage matches was taking place was only confirmed in the 11^th hour and even with FIBA rescheduling start times for the matches, they still couldn’t make it to their first game against DR Congo.

The Congolese, who the Morans had high hopes of beating in Cairo were given a 20-00 walkover, effectively leaving the team with a mountain to climb with Egypt and Senegal coming up next.

They also had only eight players in the team; five starters and three on the bench, making the already mountainous task even harder.

The likes of Tom ‘Bush’ Wamukota and star player Tyler Okari couldn’t travel due to the late confirmation of the trip as the team had to rely on a bail out from FIBA after the government told them their coffers could not finance their budget to Cairo.

Against Egypt on Saturday, the Morans lost 73-39. A late rally in the last two quarters was not enough for the Sadat Gaya-coached side as they had already been worked on by the Pharaohs in the first two quarters.

Uganda-based Kennedy Wachira was Kenya’s best performer with a game-high 11 points and five rebounds.

Against Senegal, the Morans were slightly improved but still lost 86-54. They had started well with a 20-19 score at the end of the first quarter, but the fight quickly fizzled out with the Senegalese taking crisp control of the rest of the match.

Joel Awich carded a double-double score with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Wachira accounted for 10 points for the Morans.

While hopes of a national basketball revolution rose after the team won the FIBA Afrocan in 2019, the dreams have quickly fizzled out once again and will need resuscitation to take the game back enroute to the top.

Meanwhile, South Sudan who Kenya beat in the pre-qualifiers are now the talk of African basketball circles.

The South Sudanese, under the tutelage of former NBA star Luol Deng have won all their six matches in Group B and are through to the final qualification round with a dream place in the World Cup on their doorstep.

The post Kenya Morans end woeful World Cup dream with double loss in Egypt appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 5 – Kenya Sevens head coach Damian McGrath has lauded Strength and Conditioning coach Geoffrey Kimani’s input to raise the players’ fitness back to tip top shape after a lull by the team over the last two tournaments of the World Sevens Series.

Shujaa picked up back to back single points from the Toulouse and London legs of the World Sevens Series to dip further into the overall standings in McGrath’s first two weeks in charge.

But after more than three weeks of residential training at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this month, the English tactician is pleased with the improvement, more so fitness-wise.

“Fatigue before was part of the reason and we had lots of players who had reached a level where they just couldn’t go on. But they have had a good rest and honestly I can’t underestimate how  important the work coach Kimani has had on them. He’s got them in really good physical shape in running and in terms of shape and size as well. I am happy with where we are at the moment,” McGrath said.

Kimani, who was part of the backroom staff as Kenya hoisted its first ever Main Cup title at the Singapore Sevens in 2016 made a return to the team as part of McGrath’s team as he took charge of the squad in May.

When he took charge, McGrath had said he was worried with the skill level of the team but just over a month after being with the team, he says he has some level of satisfaction.

“They have improved but not as much as I would have liked. We have gone back to the basics on how to hold the ball, how to run with the ball and basically things that people ignore but are very important. We are better than we were but definitely not as good as we can be,” the tactician stated.

The team has been in residential training at the Kasarani Stadium in preparation for the Commonwealth Games where the tactician is hoping for an improved performance.

He says the team’s primary target is to first qualify into the knockout phases. Kenya was eliminated in the quarter finals by hosts Australia during the last Commonwealth Games hosted in Gold Coast in 2018.

The tactician has also stated he is impressed with the competition for places within the team and has warned that no one is assured of a place.

“We are under pressure to name a team but I want to leave it as long as possible because everyone is working really hard. It is a good place to be in when the competition is top and we want to get to a point where there is not entitlement in the team. Just because you are in the team doesn’t mean you must be in the team,” the tactician stated.

Meanwhile, he says there are four or five names that he has picked out after watching the last two legs of the National Sevens Series in Mombasa and Kisumu.

“I am very excited by four or five names. It’s always easy to pick 20 plus players but then it’s always better when you come across diamonds in the rough who have magic which you think you can polish. We think we have found a few, maybe not for now but maybe in future will be playing for Shujaa,” stated the tactician.

Meanwhile, the English coach who has assisted with England and coached Germany before remains optimistic that Shujaa will rise back to the top despite some struggles over the last three seasons.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day and I would love to say I got some magic dust which I can sprinkle and get the team back to the glory days,” the coach stated.

He adds; “We are building slowly and looking to be better each tournament. We can’t obviously be worse than we were in the last two tournaments where we finished rock bottom but we are always aiming to go one step higher. If players play to their potential that they have shown in training and we get to the knockout stages in the Commonwealth Games, then we will be a very dangerous team to meet.”

“I want to urge the fans to keep the faith. It will be better. The players want to be better and they are very proud Kenyans and I am hopeful for the future.”

The post Shujaa boss McGrath lauds S&C coach Kimani for tremendous fitness work appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – Ahead of their 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifier semi-final clash against Algeria on Wednesday evening, the Kenya Sevens team has sent messages of support to their 15s counterparts, the Simbas.

The Simbas take on Algeria in a crunch tie at the Stade Pierre – Delort in Marseille, France on Wednesday at 7pm, the match live on K24TV.

Shujaa head coach Damian McGrath is confident that the Simbas have what it takes to book a slot in the final.

“If the reaction in Kisumu (where they watched Saturday’s semi-final win against Uganda) is anything to go by then they have so much support in the country. What a fantastic start they had! They put in a dominant performance and if they can do the same again, then they will get to the final. Everyone here is cheering them on and we will be watching the game as a team for sure,” the English tactician told Capital Sport.

Skipper nelson Oyoo said; “We will wish them all the best; we know they can do it. It (World Cup qualification) is not something that cannot be done. From the Kenya sevens wish you all the best.”

The Simbas take on Algeria in what is expected to be a tough semi-final in Marseille on Wednesday evening and the team will be looking to clock yet another important victory to take them closer to a ticket to Paris next year.

Head coach Paul Odera says the team is cautious of their approach, but has vowed they will give all their best to earn a ticket.

“The best part is that the players are really focused on the semifinal. They’re policing and being hard on themselves. They are looking to see the quality of rugby that they can produce and what needs to be done,” Coach Odera said.

On the approach against Algeria, Odera said; “They are a good side; they are clinical, sleek, accurate and have big forwards. They are experienced for being in the game for a long time so we know that they’ll be tactically ready to play us on Wednesday.”

The post We have confidence in you – Shujaa send message of solidarity to Simbas in World Cup qualifiers appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 6 – Olympians Collins Injera and Vincent Onyala will miss Kenya’s semi-final duel against Algeria in the race towards qualification to the 2023 Rugby World Cup due to injury.

The Simbas are due to face the Algerians on Wednesday at 7pm in the semis, with the coach having to rest the key duo after the picked up knocks during the quarter final win over Uganda on Saturday in France.

The tactician has made three changes to the team that turned out against the Cranes on Saturday as they look to punch a ticket to the final.

“There’s a positive mood in camp in spite of the fact that we’ve had to make two changes due to injury. Injera has not been able to shake off an abductor strain that he got during the Uganda match, so Derrick Ashihundu comes in as the starting left wing. He also brings on a different type of rugby to the game, he is strong and quick and we’re excited to see him play in his first test,” coach Paul Odera explained, speaking to KRU.

He adds; “Onyala has an ankle injury which is pain free at the moment but we didn’t want to risk him due to player welfare. Bryceson Adaka who was our starting 13 in the qualifiers last year comes in as the outside center.”

The third change in the team will see Martin Owilah have a place on the bench and swapping with Brian Juma. “Owilah covers both second row and back row plus he brings with him more speed as opposed to Brian’s power,” Odera added.

The coach saud that he is confident in the team’s ability to have one over Algeria who beat Senegal in the quarters, as they look to book a slot in the final and battle for a place in the World Cup next year.

Kenya Simbas line up:

Patrick Ouko, 2. Eugene Sifuna, 3. Ephraim Oduor, 4. Malcolm Onsando, 5. Thomas Okeyo, 6. George Nyambua, 7. Daniel Sikuta – Captain, 8. Bethwel Anami, 9. Samuel Asati, 10. Dominic Coulson, 11. Derrick Ashihundu , 12. John Okoth, 13. Bryceson Adaka, 14. Jacob Ojee, 15. Darwin Mukidza.

Teddy Akala, 17. Edward Mwaura, 18. Joseph Odero, 19. Martin Owilah, 20. Davis Chenge, 21. Brian Tanga, 22. Jone Kubu, 23. Andrew Matoka

The post Onyala, Injera out as Simbas prepare for Algeria battle in World Cup qualifiers appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 6 – National women’s volleyball coach Paul Bitok says there are noticeable improvements in the team, one week after they arrived in Brazil for a training camp.

Bitok said the players have maintained a positive attitude and are yearning to go for September’s World Championship, to be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Poland.

“We have been here for the last one week. This is our second week and so far, everything is working out well. The ladies have been working hard and already we can see an improvement in the playing system,” the former Kenya Commercial Bank coach said.

However, Malkia Strikers’ reception remains an area of concern for Bitok who is hopeful the same will be rectified by the time they face off against local sides for friendly matches.

“The only issue that remains is our reception, which needs a bit of more work. Luckily, we have these modern machines that will hopefully help us improve on this area. We will make the most of these facilities and then test ourselves in friendlies against the local sides,” he said.

The queens face an arduous task at the quadrennial showpiece, having been pooled in a tough Group A consisting of European champions Italy, hosts Netherlands, Cameroon, Puerto Rico and Belgium.

Malkia will be hoping to go one better than their last appearance in 2018 when they claimed a historic first-ever win at the tournament – a straight sets win over Kazakhstan.

However, they were no match for their other Pool D rivals, losing to eventual champions Serbia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.

Bitok, who has also tutored the Rwandese national team, however, believes the past results will count for nothing so long as they are adequately prepared and confident.

“We are ready for this championship with this kind of adequate preparations. We urge all Kenyans to continue praying…just continue supporting us. Everything is going on well,” he said.

The post Bitok impressed by Malkia’s growth in Brazil training camp appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – FKF Premier League champions Tusker FC started pre-season training on Wednesday ahead of the new campaign, even as they hope to play in the CAF Champions League with no word yet on Kenya’s suspension by FIFA.

At the moment, the brewers will not be able to play in Continental football due to Kenya’s FIFA suspension, but coach Robert Matano hopes a solution will be found.

“We hope that something will be done and the relevant authorities will come to an agreement. The players have worked hard to get this chance and we hope that we will be able to play. We will just train and prepare looking toeards what will come out of everything” Matano said in a past interview, just after the team won the league.

The brewers have until the end of this month to know their fate, with CAF having extended the deadline for team submission for the Champions League and Confederation Cup.

The brewers started on Tuesday with physical medical examinations for the players and then had beep tests on Wednesday followed by a light session.

Tusker are hoping for a return to Continental football, having reached the play-off round of the CAF Confederation Cup, losing 1-0 on aggregate to CS Sfaxien.

With a more gelled squad, Matano’s charges were hoping for a better performance, with eyes on a probable group stage appearance.

Tusker won their 13^th Premier League title on the final day of the season with a 2-0 win over Posta Rangers to edge out Kakamega Homeboyz on goal difference.

The post Tusker start pre-season training with hopes of Continental football midst FIFA suspension appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 6 – Beleaguered former Football Kenya Federation boss Nick Mwendwa can breathe a sigh of relief after the Anti-Corruption Court sitting in Milimani, Nairobi, threw out a case against him.

Milimani Anti-corruption Chief Magistrate Eunice Nyuttu threw out the case, having given the Prosecution the last opportunity to present evidence in the case.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate said; “I hereby discharge Mwendwa under section 87(a) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) for failure by the DPP to avail evidence before this court.”

According to the Daily Nation, Nyuttu put the Director of Public Prosecution on the spot for abusing the court process by arresting and producing Mwendwa in court without any evidence.

The court agreed with the defence lawyers Eric Mutua and Charles Njenga that the DPP is using the court as a holding ground while hunting for evidence.

Mwendwa had been out on a cash bail of Sh10 million bond.

According to the charge sheet, between April 16 and May 31, 2021, Mwendwa and others not before court conspired to defraud the Federation Sh29,502,709. He is further accused that on May 15, 2021, he fraudulently acquired public property worth Sh2.5mn.

Mwendwa is further accused of fraudulent acquisition of property amounting to Sh5mn and another Sh1mn on March 4 and May 6,

Mwendwa was hounded out of office last year after Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed formed a caretaker committee to run football in the country.

The beleaguered football supremo hugely protested the decision to throw him out of office, leading to his arrest on charges of corruption. He was released, later re-arrested and then released on Sh1mn bond.

Football in the country has since been run by committees formed by CS Amina Mohamed. Currently, there is a ‘Transition Committee’ in place to run the game with their mandate set to expire next month.

The acts by CS Amina has led to Kenya’s suspension from all football activities since February this year. This suspension has seen the national men’s team Harambee Stars fail to play the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and have not been drawn for the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers.

The women’s team also failed to play their last qualification match for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations which is currently ongoing in Morocco.

If the suspension by FIFA is not lifted, then Kenyan league champions Tusker FC and Vihiga Queens will not play continental football next season.

It is yet to be seen whether CS Amina will dialogue with the ousted Federation or not, now that the court has ended the prosecution of Mwendwa.

Mwendwa relinquished his duties to vice president Doris Petra after his tribulations started, but only the branches have been operational in running the lower tier leagues.

The post Anti-Corruption Court throws out case against EX FKF boss Nick Mwendwa appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – Air rifle sports shooter Priscilla Wangui says qualifying for the Paris Olympics in 2024 will be the pinnacle of her career and a historic feat.

The Kenya Police College instructor narrowly missed out on last year’s Tokyo Olympics despite garnering the minimum qualification score at the International Sports Shooting Federation World Cup in New Delhi, India.

“Champions are people who keep doing what they do until they get it right. I really feel happy to see that a sport that I am so passionate about is being honoured. Many of us in our group dream of making it to the Olympics. I am hoping that I will be one of the first shooters to qualify for Paris,” Wangui said.

First things first, however, Wangui will be in action at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, South Korea on July 9-21.

She will be accompanied by Maurice Morara who will be competing in the air pistol category.

Although she admitted that the pressure in South Korea will be palpable, Wangui said she is ready for the task ahead and will be focused on gaining momentum ahead of the World Championship in Cairo, Egypt in October this year.

“The pressure will be there considering this is a huge event that comprises the best players from all over the world. We have the Olympians and the champions and so it is a big deal. But we have also prepared well and are ready to better our result from the last World Cup, which was held in Egypt,” Wangui said.

A good result in Asia will be the perfect foundation for her quest for Olympic qualification and Wangui is looking forward to gleaning valuable lessons from the tournament.

“It is not an Olympic qualifier but nonetheless it is a big deal. For us, this World Cup is an opportunity to prepare for the World Championship, which is the first stage towards qualifying for the Olympics. It will help us know what we need to improve on, where we are and what we need to do to enhance our chances of qualification,” Wangui, awarded the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) in 2018, said.

She is also one of 11 beneficiaries of the Paris 2024 Scholarship scheme by National Olympic Committee-Kenya (NOCK), which seeks to aid athletes’ preparations in various disciplines for the quadrennial event.

Wangui pinpointed the difference the scholarship has made in her training.

“I worked hard for the scholarship. I didn’t get it on a silver platter. Sports shooting is quite expensive and to have these expenses catered for allows me to concentrate on my training without worrying about the lack of resources. I am grateful for it,” she said.

The post Sports shooter Wangui eager to cure Tokyo ‘heartbreak’ at Paris Olympics appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – Coach Paul Odera could barely look and Collins Injera could barely have a seat on the bench; that was the kind of pressure the Kenya Simbas sustained as they stormed into the final of the Rugby Africa Cup with a 36-33 victory over Algeria in Marseille on Wednesday night.

Injera was missing the game due to injury and took duties on the bench, and his constant communication and motivation for the 15 inside played a role as they sustained late pressure.

“Imeisha! Imeisha! (It’s over)” Injera shouted from the bench as the Simbas won a penalty against an Algerian maul with 80 minutes gone and it meant a win in possession and a kick out would be more than enough.

A penalty try for the Algerians with 12 minutes to play caused all sorts of problems for the Simbas as the North Africans came within three points of turning over the game, but Odera’s charges did the most important, holding on for the win.

The Simbas ran in five tries, four of which were converted while Jone Kubu came off the bench to score a penalty as the Simbas booked a place in the final where a date against either Namibia or Zimbabwe awaits.

The Algerians started brighter and just 12 seconds into the game, straight from kick off, thought they had dotted down the first try of the game.

From the kick, the ball hit Nadir Megdoud on the head and bounced on the line, the left winger picking up and running into the try box as the Kenyan side stood waiting for a line out.

The decision had to be referred upstairs and the decision was a line out, the ball having kissed the chalk before bouncing back into play.

But, the Algerians kept their early pressure and five minutes into the game broke the deadlock through Marvyn Youcef. The Algerians turned over possession after a handling problem in the middle of the pack and the ball was swung to the left. Benjamin Caminati added the twos for a 7-0 lead.

But the Simbas who had taken time to get into the game responded six minutes later through John Okoth. The referee had taken play back to the line out after an infringement and as the ball was played wide, Samuel Asati picked and released Okoth with a sharp pass, the centre going over.

Darwin Mukidza sliced the posts for a 7-7 score.

The Algerians and their heavy forwards would cause mayhem and added a second try. They were given a penalty inside Kenya’s 22 and opted for a line out and with a driving maul, hooker Issam Hamel touched over the line with Caminati confirming the extras for a 14-7 lead.

The see saw game turned to Kenya’s favour after 20 minutes with a brilliantly executed counter attack.

From a line out deep in their own 22, the Simbas launched a counter with Bethwell Anami picking up the ball, taking a run down the middle and booting upfront. The kick found the run of Okoth who managed to dot down the ball despite a last ditch tackle.

Mukidza sliced the posts for the conversion as Kenya drew back level.

The KCB fullback then gave Simbas the lead with five minutes to halftime after some patient build up from a scrum. Asati was once again at hand to spray a sharp pass which Mukidza picked, crossed over and added the twos for a 21-14 halftime lead.

In the second half, Algeria started just as strong as they were in the opening half and within five minutes of the restart they drew level once again, another strong maul seeing Yassin Bouttemani grounding the ball across the line.

Coach Odera made changes, with Jone Kubu coming on. The Fijian-turned Kenya made an immediate impact when kenya won a penalty and decided to go for the posts, the substitute doing the job to take Kenya 24-21 up.

The Simbas seemed to be turning the game on their side and Eugene Sifuna added another try for Kenya, picking up an offload from Dominic Coulson before sighting space and going over the line. Kubu added the extras to give the boys a 10 point lead, with a 31-21 score.

The Algerians however responded from another driving maul with the ball spread out to Nadir on the left, the winger dotting down his second of the evening. The conversion was wide, scores being 31-26.

But the Simbas restored their 10 point lead through Bryce Adaka, a little out and in step throwing his marker off from a Kubu offload. The conversion from Kubu was wide.

The Kabras Sugar flyhalf made a superb try saving tackle on the left to deny Nadir a third try, but from the resultant scrum, the Algerians were handed a penalty try with 12 minutes left on the clock.

They kept possession, pushing Kenya using their strong and heavy forwards, but the boys held on. With the hooter gone after 80 minutes, Shujaa managed to turn over possession, Kubu picking and kicking out to preserve the win.

The post Simbas withstand Algeria pressure to storm into Rugby Africa Cup final appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – Less than a day after the Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi released embattled former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss Nick Mwendwa, his troubles just don’t seem to be ending after he was re-arrested on Thursday morning.

According to police sources privy to the investigation, Mwendwa was arrested at his Kiambu Road home.

“He is being grilled at the DCI headquarters ahead of being arraigned at Kiambu Law Courts later this afternoon,” a police source told Capital Sports.

This is the second time that Mwendwa has been re-arrested after the Court failed to prosecute him.

According to the Director of Public Prosecution, there has been additional evidence in teh case and hence, Mwendwa will take fresh plea on Monday July 11.

Mwendwa’s case of alleged embezzlement of close to Sh38mn was thrown out by the Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday once again after the prosecution failed to execute the case due to lack of evidence.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate said; “I hereby discharge Mwendwa under section 87(a) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) for failure by the DPP to avail evidence before this court.”

The prosecution had twice asked for time to gather more evidence even with the case dragging for months.

Mwendwa’s tribulations started late 2020 after Sports Cabinet Secretary disbanded the Federation over allegations of embezzlement of funds, following a report by a Sports Registrar Committee that was charged with perusing their books.

The decision led to a fiery objection from Mwendwa and his team and he was arrested, later released, before the Court once again failed to prosecute the case and finally released him.

He was re-arrested for another time and had been out on a Sh10mn bond till Wednesday when the Court declared him free. But he did not enjoy his freedom for more than 24 hours as he has now been re-arrested.

According to the charge sheet from the previous case, between April 16 and May 31, 2021, Mwendwa and others not before court were accused to have conspired to defraud the Federation Sh29,502,709.

He is further accused that on May 15, 2021, he fraudulently acquired public property worth Sh2.5mn.

Mwendwa is further accused of fraudulent acquisition of property amounting to Sh5mn and another Sh1mn on March 4 and May 6,

The post Unending tribulations: Ex FKF boss Mwendwa re-arrested appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – Conseslus Kipruto has told Kenyans to calm down and that he will be at hand to restore Kenya’s respect in the steeplechase at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games this month.

Kipruto has been out struggling with injury since he sensationally won the World title in Doha in 2019 and missed the Tokyo Olympic Games last year.

In his absence, kenya lost the Olympic title for the first time in over four decades and the only medalist was Benjamin Kigen who settled for bronze as Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali clinched the crown.

However, Conseslus who has has slowly returned to action this year and has already competed in two Diamond League races believes that Kenyans should not be afraid they will also lose the World title in Oregon this month.

“I have hopes and I am the one to bring back the respect. We have a strong team and we believe in ourselves. We believe we will bring back the gold,” Kipruto told Capital Sport.

“Last time the people were running like crazy and fearing that our title is gone but I want to tell them to relax. I am here.”He added; “We have been training well and according to my progress, I feel very good. I am targeting victory and I know things will go well. I feel really comfortable and I feel I can run faster. I just want to tell Kenyans to pray for us and we will go there and bring back the respect.”

Kipruto finished third at the Kenyan trials, but he already had a Wild Card for the World Championships where he is the defending champion.

After Oregon, he will also head down to Birmingham, United Kingdom to try defend his Commonwealth Games title.

In the steeple team to the Worlds, he will team up with training partner Abraham Kibiwott, Benjamin Kigen and Leonard Bett.

Kiprutto and Kibiwott will head to the Commonwealth Games where they will be joined by World Junior Champion Amos Serem. The youngster won the Kenyan trials but couldn’t head to the Worlds as he had not fulfilled all of the stringent Anti-Doping regulations.

The post Calm down, I will bring back the respect, says Conseslus Kipruto appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 8 – Kenya’s Angela Okutoyi and her partner Rose Marie Nijkamp from Netherlands have made it to the semi-finals of the girls doubles at the Junior Wimbledon tournament.

The pair saw off Linda Klimovicova and Dominika Salkova from Poland two sets to one in the quarter finals yesterday in scores of 6-7, 6-4, 11-9 to make the semis.

They will take on the pair of Lucija Ciric Bagaric and 16-year old Nikola Daubnerova for a historic place in the final.

Earlier, the Kenyan tennis teen sensation and her Dutch partner had seen off Denislava Glushkova (Bulgaria) and Hayu Kinoshita (Japan) 6-2, 6-3 in the quarters to progress to the last four.

The pair had started their hunt for the Grand Slam with a straight sets win (6-4, 6-4) over Georgia Pedone of Italy who was pairing up with Kaitlin Quevedo of USA.

Okutoyi shifted her focus to the doubles after her singles run in her debut tournament, was halted in the first round of the main draw after going down 6-3, 6-2 against Canada’s Mia Kupres.

The Kenyan teen is playing her third Grand Slam, having played at the Australian Open in January, the French Open and now in Wimbledon.

The post Super Okutoyi shines on in Wimbledon, goes through to doubles semi with Dutch partner appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 8 – Double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has been confirmed for the 2022 Berlin Marathon, going back to the course in which he broke the World Record in 2018, clocking a time that Only Kenenisa Bekele has come close to matching.

The Marathon legend will compete for his fourth title in the streets of Berlin on September 25.

Kipchoge clocked 2:01:39 to win the race in 2018 and set a new World Record, and has not competed in the last two editions.

In an elaborate video posted by his management on Friday, Kipchoge announced he will be going back to the German capital which holds a special place in his heart.

“Berlin is the fastest course, it’s where a human being can showcase its potential to push the limits,” Kipchoge said.

Kipchoge is set to compete with defending champion Guye Adola of Ethiopia with the organisers releasing the first few names of the elite list.

“I am very happy to be back at the Berlin Marathon to defend my title from last year. I always have a good feeling about Berlin because it was my debut marathon, and that time is still my personal best. This year I will try to run even faster and achieve a time under 2:03:00 hours,” Adola said.

Kipchoge and the Ethiopian Adola already fought an impressive duel in 2017. Adola brought Kipchoge close to the brink of defeat. The pictures of the gripping final on the last kilometres at the Brandenburg Gate went around the globe and thrilled the sports community,

After the 37-year-old proved that to be in good shape at the Tokyo Marathon winning with a new course record in 2:02:40, he had said he was carefully examining his options to ascertain the ‘next rabbit’ he would be chasing.

Kipchoge is already confirmed for the 2024 Olympics in Paris where he will be seeking a historic three-peat.

The post Confirmed: Eliud Kipchoge set to compete at the 2022 Berlin Marathon appeared first on Capital Sports.

DIANI, Kenya, Jul 8 – With Kenya still under ‘Category A’ of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list, there has been increased clamour to fight the vice and lift the country’s name off the dirty waters of being a haven of drug-cheating competitors.

As the World Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games approach in Oregon and Birmingham respectively, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has taken an initiative to involve the media in educating them on the ever-evolving world of antidoping.

ADAK is hosting members of the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) on a two-day seminar in Diani to keep them abreast, educate and empower them, arming them with necessary tools to help them report better and accurately.

“This is extremely important for ADAK because we have realized that we have not been engaging journalists and the media a lot and they can help us to report on doping issues more widely. The whole country can to get to understand what antidoping is all about and the athletes will also understand what they should and should not do,” said ADAK acting CEO Sarah Shibutse.

She added; “For us it is a very important engagement and we hope that after this session we will come up with a way forward on how to do reporting on antidoping matters.”

SJAK president Chris Mbaisi says the workshop is vital in arming the media with correct information on the ever changing Anti-Doping landscape.

Mbaisi, Sports Editor at The Star Newspaper says the press leads from the forefront in the fight against drug cheating in sports and its watchdog status is key in keeping sportsmen and their personnel in check.

“It is very important because the media is part and parcel of the antidoping movement because we encounter these stories every day. The rules keep changing each year and it is good to be abreast with the new rules. We need to report the correct situation on these circles. It is important to keep close,” Mbaisi told Capital Sports.

He adds; “The more we talk about it the more it will reduce because the perpetrators will now know they are in the public limelight and they will tread very carefully. If we do not talk about it, they will assume it is business as usual and will continue doing what they do behind the scenes.”

Among the issues that the media was educated on include the process of sample collection, with educator Charles ‘Jaji’ Omondi, also the Kenya Handball Federation Secretary General explaining on the importance of the privacy of the process.

He took the media through a step by step run on how ADAK, working with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and WADA work to ensure an uncontaminated process of collecting samples.

The media was also taken through a list of the 11 Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRV) and how the Results are managed after being analysed with Bildad Rogoncho, from the ADAK legal department explaining how they go about prosecuting those found culpable of doping.

Among the issues that was also discussed include the now all too familiar cases of whereabouts failures which have nabbed many athletes, most recently Commonwealth Games 1500m defending champion Elijah Manangoi.

“An athlete can never have an excuse, unless under extremely special circumstances, not to fill their whereabouts. We need to educate them more on just how important this is especially very close to competition,” Kennedy Mwai, an educator with ADAK said.

The workshop will conclude on Saturday.

The post ADAK arms Sports Journalists with crucial information as Kenya steps up fight against drug cheats appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 8 – Kenya’s tennis teen sensation Angela Okutoyi made history on Friday, becoming the first ever Kenyan to play a Grand Slam final after she qualified to the Junior Wimbledon finale with her Dutch partner Rose Marie Nijkamp.

Okutoyi and Nijkamp continued with their good performance in the UK, beating the pair of Nikola Daubnerova (Serbia) and Lucija Ciric Bagaric (Croatia) by straight sets of 6-3-6-4. 

Okutoyi and Nijkamp had to work hard to come from losing positions in both sets to clinch the victory and earn a historic place in the final. They had to come from 2-1 up in the first set before winning and also rose from 2-0 down in the second to win a thrilling second set that was wrapped up in three quarters of an hour.

On the way to the final, Okutoyi and Nijkamp swept aside Georgia Pedone (Italy) and Kaitlin Quevedo (USA) 6-4, 6-4, then proceeded to beat Denislava Glushkova (Bulgaria) and Hayu Kinoshita (Japan) 6-2, 6-3.

A ticket to the quarter finals saw them beat the Czech Republic pair of Linda Klimovicova and Dominika Salkova 6-7, 6-4, 11-9.

Okutoyi shifted her focus to the doubles after her singles run in her debut tournament, was halted in the first round of the main draw after going down 6-3, 6-2 against Canada’s Mia Kupres.

In the final, they will take on the pair of Third-seeded Lucija Ciric Bagaric (Croatia) and Nikola Daubnerova (Slovakia) who threaded past Sayaka Ishii (Japan) and Lanlana Tararudee (Thailand) 6-2, 7-6 in the other semi-final.

The post History girl! Angela Okutoyi becomes first ever Kenyan in a Grand Slam final appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 9 – Sprinter Mark Otieno’s case at the Tokyo Olympic Games last year is a classic example of the use of supplements gone wrong, and now, the Antidoping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has reiterated their zero tolerance on its use by sportsmen.

The doping watchdog says there is a greater risk involved in the use of supplements despite its known benefits to help improve and athlete’s performance, within the antidoping parameters.

Otieno, the previous 100m national record holder was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and he later, in an interview, stated that the positive case might have emanated from a supplement he took.

“It is not wrong to use supplements, but there is a greater risk involved. The cases of these same supplements being contaminated is high and every time we speak to athletes we tell them to avoid supplements at all costs,” said Dr Festus Kiplamai, an educator with ADAK during the second day of a workshop with Sports Journalists in Diani.

Kiplamai said that while most of these supplements are okay and do not contain any banned substances, the risk that one of the many might contain a banned substance is high and hence sportsmen put themselves at a higher risk if they take them.

“Most of these supplements are used abroad because maybe, those sports people do not have the natural energy that we here in Africa have,” explained Kiplamai.

His sentiments have been echoed by Dr. Agnes Mandu who is the Director of Research and Education at ADAK.

“As ADAK we say we have a no policy for supplements. We don’t encourage any athlete to take food supplements because though they are not on the prohibited list, they carry a risk because they are being produced by industries that are not regulated,” she said.

Dr Mandu adds; “Some want to attract more customers by spiking the supplements so that people say this one from this comapny works better than the other one. But, if found positive, the athlete will not be asked where from, but a sanction will be imposed. This is for their own good, the sportsmen can eat naturally to enhance their strength without supplements. Let them not look for shortcuts.”

The biggest problem, ADAK have admitted, is the lack of regulation in the food supplement industry locally but they however said they have initiated a conversation with the relevant authorities.

“In other countries, the regulations are there and the industry is controlled. We had started the conversation with the CS (Amina Mohamed) and she had also initiated another one with the CS for health but due to COVID and all it didn’t pick up. But we will re-start that conversation and see how we can help our sportsmen not to fall into this trap,” said Sarah Shibutse, the Acting CEO of ADAK.

The Supplement topic was the biggest on the cards as the two-day workshop with sports media came to an end in Diani, and the journalists admitted it was a huge eye opener especially in their reporting.

“At least now we know that these supplements are not encouraged by ADAK and so when an athlete is found positive after taking them, then we know the liability is theirs,” said Mike Okinyi, the SJAK Secretary General.

Journalists said they were impressed with the teachings picked out from ADAK and say this will not only empower their reporting on use of banned substances, but also empower them to help more in the fight against the vice, especially in using their amplified voices to sensitize sportsmen.

As a young reporter, having this interactive session has been very critical. We tend to assume a lot of things when interacting with athletes but now with the knowledge we have we understand better on how to deal with certain stories and certain situations,” said Lokeder Natiom of the Nation Media Group.

“It is a very important aspect because we have got to learn the dos and don’ts of doping most of which we did not know. I feel more equipped than I was before these last two days to cover emerging doping issues,” said James Magayi, the SJAK vice president.

ADAK have said they will organize another seminar with the sports journalists within the next six months especially with the WADA list of prohibited substances set to be revised in January.

“We want to thank ADAK for this session and we have honestly learnt a lot. We hope to keep interacting because our dream is to see Kenyan sportsmen competing clean,” said Capital FM Sports Editor and the SJAK Treasurer, Alex Isaboke.

The post Avoid at all costs! ADAK reiterates ZERO TOLERANCE on use of supplements by sportsmen appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 9 – Angela Okutoyi made history on Saturday afternoon, becoming the first ever Kenyan to win a Grandslam following her girls’ double victory at Wimbledon alongside Dutch partner Rose Marie Nijkamp.

Okutoyi and Nijkamp beat the Canadian duo of Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko by two sets to one to clinch the history setting victory in the British Capital London.

The duo started the match on a low with the Canadian girls taking the first set 6-3 in 27 minutes.

Okutoyi and Nijkamp however fought back and in 32 minutes forced a tie breaker with a 6-4 victory in the second set.

They were not easily pushed off the lead and won the tie breaker 11-9 to not only win the match and the title, but also walk majestically on the road of history.

Okutoyi and Nijkamp had beaten the pair of Nikola Daubnerova (Serbia) and Lucija Ciric Bagaric (Croatia) by straight sets of 6-3-6-4 in Friday evening’s semi-final.

On the way to the final, Okutoyi and Nijkamp swept aside Georgia Pedone (Italy) and Kaitlin Quevedo (USA) 6-4, 6-4, then proceeded to beat Denislava Glushkova (Bulgaria) and Hayu Kinoshita (Japan) 6-2, 6-3.

A ticket to the quarter finals saw them beat the Czech Republic pair of Linda Klimovicova and Dominika Salkova 6-7, 6-4, 11-9.

The Kenyan tennis teen sensation had shifted her focus to the doubles after her singles run in her debut tournament, was halted in the first round of the main draw after going down 6-3, 6-2 against Canada’s Mia Kupres.

The post HISTORY! Okutoyi becomes first ever Kenyan Grandslam winner with Wimbledon victory appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 10 – It was just never Kenya’s night as yet another World Cup dream came crushing down after a humbling 36-0 defeat at the hands of Namibia in the final of the Africa Cup on Sunday night in France.

Wian Conradie dotted down a hattrick of tries with Cliven Loubser adding on a hattrick of penalties as the Southern Africans continued their recent dominance over the Simbas and clinching Africa’s sole automatic ticket to next year’s World Cup.

The Simbas will now have to try their luck out at the Repechage tournament after failing to clinch the title, another World Cup dream slowed down.

Kenya had a good start to the match with the best 15 restored after the return of Collins Injera and Vincent Onyala, but as soon as Namibia scored the first try, Kenya’s crumble started.

Conradie dotted down the first after 17 minutes after Namibia sped off on the counter following a quickly taken setpiece. The conversion was wide as they took a 5-0 lead.

They extended the lead to 8-0 after 23 minutes when Loubser booted the first of his three penalties when skipper Daniel Sikuta was penalized for failing to release on the tackle.

Conradie added his second try of the day with Loubser adding the twos after Namibia won a scrum and used it to open up space on the Kenyan backline, going to the break with a 15-0 lead.

In the second half, Namibia continued with their destructive form and they extended the lead from another penalty after a high tackle, the Namibians choosing to go for the posts and Loubser slicing the posts for an 18-0 score.

He was gifted with two more penalties which he made no mistake from, Namibia going 24-0 up. He tried another from the halfway line but drilled it wide.

Namibia scored two quick tries in the final two minutes, Conradie completing his hattrick after a good line out before skipper Johan Deysel putting the icing on the cake.

The post So close yet so far away: Kenya Simbas World Cup dream dented by Namibia appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 11 – Trans Nzoia’s Emmanuel Wafula says he wants to repay his mother with a gold medal in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at next month’s World Under 20 Championship in Cali, Colombia.

Wafula said his mother, Elizabeth Perio, a former athlete herself, has been supportive of his athletics career thus far and wants to make her smile with an excellent performance at the championship.

“Out of the whole family, she is the only other athlete although she didn’t go far in her career. I thank her so much because, alongside my father, they have given me their blessing and encouraged me to keep working hard. Even before I competed at the national trials for the Under 20 Championships, they had prayed for me and told me to trust in God,” Wafula said.

He added: “I promise them – as well as all those who have supported me – that I will work hard in Cali to come back home with gold medal. I have prepared for these championships as far back as the onset of the Covid-19 period and although I failed to make it at last year’s trials, I did not lose heart.”

Wafula, a Form Three student at Chesito Secondary School in Mount Elgon, further credited the school’s principal, Daniel Mamboleo, for affording him as much time as possible to train.

“He has been very understanding and supportive of my career and this has helped me to grow my craft. There is also my coach, Siwa Kipchoge, who is also my mentor as he was the one who encouraged me to take up the steeplechase when I transitioned into high school. I owe a lot to the two and want to make them proud as well for the trust they have put in me,” he said.

The junior athlete earned his place on the plane to Colombia when he timed 8:32.09 to clinch the men’s 3000m steeplechase during the national trials at Nyayo National Stadium.

There is more work to be done, though, for Wafula who bemoans the various challenges encountered in his training.

“As you see me right now, I do not have a manager and yet I need one if I am to go far. Also, I would like to appeal to the Bungoma County government to consider finishing work on the high altitude camp that was being established in the region. It would help quite a lot of us as far as training is concerned,” he said.

The post World U20 debutant Wafula wants to repay prayerful mum with gold appeared first on Capital Sports.