NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 24 – Kenya finished the penultimate day of the World Athletics Championships third on the medal table on Sunday morning and this position could either improve or go lower when the curtains come down on the 10-day event early Monday morning at Hayward field.

Kenya will already finish with lesser gold medals than it did in 2019 when they won five to finish second in the overall standings with 11.

Heading to closing day, Kenya has eight medals; two gold, four silver and two bronze, sitting behind East African rivals Ethiopia who have four gold while the USA, playing at home, have 10.

Kenya has two chances to add medals to its haul on the final day. Will it be double gold? Here is the final day schedule.

4:05am – men’s 5,000m final

Kenya has not won a medal in the men’s 5,000m in the last two editions of the World Championships. Caleb Ndiku was the last Kenyan medalist in the 12-and-a-half lap race in 2015, clinching silver in Beijing.

Benjamin Limo was the last Kenyan to strike gold in the race in Finland in 2005 and duly named his son who was born on that night Helsinki, in celebration for the title.

The trio of Jacob Krop, Nicholas Kimeli and Daniel Simiu will be tasked with giving Kenya another Helsinki moment and they will line up with the entire nation expecting a delivery from them.

While Kimeli came into the World Championships as Kenya’s biggest prospect, he is yet to hit the right notes in qualification having finished sixth, getting to the final as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.

Kimeli has the worlds leading time over the distance this year and will be keen to stamp his status as one to watch out for.

Krop meanwhile showed his strength, easing to victory and showing that he might be an outside force. Simiu also clocked good time though he also progressed as a non-automatic qualifier.

The three will not be short of competition in the field. Defending champion Muktar Edris and compatriot Selemon Barega who finished second behind him in Doha are back to defend their crown.

They are also joined by Yomif Kejelcha and with the amount of team tactics we have seen the Ethiopians employ at these World Championships, it will be a partnership to watch.

Canadian Mohamed Ahmed who won bronze in Doha will also be back.

But the biggest man to watch in the race will be Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei who has already won the 10,000m and is looking for a prestigious double.

The Olympic champion and double Commonwealth Games champion will be looking to win Uganda’s second gold medal in Eugene.

4:35am – Women’s 800m final

After exiting at the semi-finals in the Olympics, Mary Moraa will be keen to make full amends at the World and will be the sole Kenyan representative in the women’s two-lap race.

Moraa has been in good form this season. At the National Trials, she set a new Personal best in both the 400m and 800m, on top of breaking the Kenyan 400m record.

She showed what she is about in the semis when she glided to victory in her heat and will be keen to double that up with a medal.

It will be a tough race as it will also include Olympic champion Athing Mu, who will be running in front of the home crowd. Mu ran the fastest qualification time in the semis, clocking 1:58.12 while Moraa had the seventh fastest time in the semis.

Jamaican Natoya Goule will also be one to watch same as bronze medalist from 2019, Ajee Wilson of the United States. Raevyn Rogers who won silver in Doha is also back, making up a strong trio for the USA.

Can the Queen of Nyamira sparkle in the States?

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – Ulinzi Warriors once again needed a massive performance to overcome University side Strathmore Blades, the military side coming off 68-64 winners in overtime in a controversial Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Men’s Premier League tie that had Blades coach Tony Ochieng ejected for a second technical call against him.

William Ochieng sunk a three-pointer for Ulinzi with six seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 56-56 to force the game to overtime and just two minutes in, Blades coach Ochieng was ejected after strongly protesting a foul called on Garang Deng, leading to a long stoppage in play.

The military side would use their experience to see off the game punishing Blades for failing to take their chances especially after winning three shooting fouls in Overtime, only one point converted.

Blades looked to be headed for a win against the soldiers with a three-point lead. However, they left the lanky Ochieng unmanned at the edge of the arch and he rose up brilliantly to swing in a three that stunned the dimly-lit Nyayo Stadium court.

The military side called a time out with two seconds left on the clock to win possession with a side ball inside the Strathmore half, but they could not execute, forcing the game to overtime.

From Ochieng’s second ejection, Mutoro was given one more opportunity from the free throw line but he only put through a single shot as he drew the game level at 59-59.

Off a turnover, Blades were handed a shooting foul but George Okoth couldn’t convert any, and the same would be the story for Rueben Muraya.

With 2:13 to play in Overtime, Blades were made to pay for their failure from the free throw line as Tiberius Menya shot both from a shooting foul to tie the game at 61-61.

From then, the soldiers used their experience, going for a 7-0 scoring spree before a late three pointer with 36seconds to play reduced the gap to a four-point game.

Earlier on, the game had been off to a very slow start with an extremely low scoring first quarter, Ulinzi leading 9-7. But, the students outscored the soldiers 19-9 in the second quarter for a 26-18 lead at halftime.

The game would however explode in the third quarter as Ulinzi suddenly improved with their shooting to tie the game at the fulltime buzzer.

“Our close pressing was bad. We didn’t share the balls as well as I expected and we didn’t control the boards until the last quarter of the game. They are a well-seasoned team and we expected a tough match. We still have a lot to work on. We are taking a game at a time and taking lessons from each match, a win or a loss,” said Bernard Mufutu, the Warriors head coach.

In five matches, the Warriors have won four and lost one, against KPA.

Collins Sudi and William Ochieng were Ulinzi’s top performers as they gathered 13 points each while the impressive point guard Bramwel Chevai was Blades’ best performer with a game high 16 points.

Meanwhile in the earlier match, visiting Eldonets beat Kenyatta University Pirates 73-62 in a competitive tie.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – Jacob Krop won Kenya’s ninth medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, clinching silver in the men’s 5,000m after losing a sprint finish to Norwegian Jacob Ingebrigtsen.

The 21-year old had looked strong all through the race, but it was Ingebrigtsen, silver medalist previously in the men’s 1500m who would come out top after leading in the final two laps of the race under scorching Eugene heat.

The Norwegian timed 13:09.24 while Krop was second for silver in 13.09.98. Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo sprinted to third for bronze, timing a season’;s best time of 13:10.20.

The other Kenyans in the race, Nicholas Kimeli and Daniel Simiu finished seventh and 10^th respectively after failing to match up with the final lap scorching pace stepped up by the Norwegian.

The Kenyan trio had taken over the pacing duties of the race with Kimeli, World Leader over the distance this year and Simiu paying the ultimate price by depleting their energy levels when it mattered most.

Uganda’s Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei also suffered for the same as he finished ninth.

Cheptegei had started off the field with some scorching pace, staying in the lead for the first three laps before signalling the Kenyan trio to take charge. Having taken gold in the men;s 10,000m, he looked spent out and started fading into the field.

With two laps to go, Ingebrigtsen took the lead and started pushing up the pace, with Kimeli and Krop following his coattails while Simiu dropped off.

At the bell, the two Kenyans were firmly in his heels, but at the backstraight, he began to peel off.

He kicked in some devastating finishing kick and Krop’s hopes of catching up faded as he settled for bronze. Kimeli also drifted down to seventh, timing 13:11.97.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – After failing to reach the final at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2022, Mary Moraa wiped those tears off with a well worked bronze in the 800m at the World Athletics Championships on the final day of action at Hayward field in Eugene, Oregon.

The Kenyan did so in superb fashion, setting a new Personal best time of 1:56.71, clocking a lifetime best for the second time in less than a month, having done so during the National Trials last month.

This was Kenya’s last medal of the Championships, taking the country’s tally to 10, one less than the haul at the 2019 showpiece in Doha.

Olympic Champion Athing Mu of the USA just but held on for gold in front of the home fans, clocking a world leading time of 1:56.30 ahead of Keely Hodgkinson of Britain who clocked 1:56.38.

Moraa, Kenya’s sole representative in the race was fourth as the athletes went through the first lap with Mu, the Olympic champion using her long strides to command the lead.

The Kenyan began to charge up for the top at the back straight and once they had only 100 to go, she ensured she did just but enough to guard her place in bronze, ensuring Ethiopian Diribe Welteji was in safe distance.

The 22-year old has now clinched her first senior medal, adding on to the World Under-18 silver she clinched in Nairobi in 2017 in her global collection.

Her new focus now will be on the Commonwealth Games where she will double in both the 800m and 400m.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – Karan Patel racked up his second win of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) season in Arusha as WRC/FIA Rally Star Hamza Anwar celebrated his maiden career continental podium position.

The first two positions in the Arusha based ARC Atlantic Rally of Tanzania was a repeat of Equator Rally where Karan beat Zambian Leroy Gomes second.

But the win in Tanzania was a welcome relief for Karan who had failed in his bid to conquer the muddy route course in the 2022 edition ARC Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally where he could only manage 10th to salvage a few points in his quest for a maiden ARC title.

But he had his campaign in Arusha effectively sewn up when his race adversaries failed to match his pace.

Jeremy Wahome, a former open-wheel formula E driver, repeated his ARC Equator Rally position after the 23-year-old powered his Ford Fiesta Rally3 to fourth overall position behind FIA Rally Star teammate Hamza.

Kenya’s other Safaricom/KQ sponsored WRC/FIA Rally Stars McRae Kimathi and Maxine Wahome (winner of WRC3 category on Safari) retired in the event which counted towards the fourth round of the FIA continental series.

Kenyan drivers will be hoping to topple the Zambian couple of Leroy and Urshla who have since maintained a steady run on the ARC front this season after losing last year’s title to highflying Kenya’s Carl “Flash” Tundo.

The Gomes won the season-opening Rallye Bandama of Ivory Coast and finished second overall thrice in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The 2022 FIA ARC now heads to Rwanda on the weekend of September 23-25 before culminating in Zambia on October 21-23.

Rally of South Africa, which was initially scheduled as the 2022 season-closer on the weekend November 17-19, will after all run as a national event.

MSA announced in earlier in the month that their iconic event will no longer count as a round of the 2022 ARC.  The event will continue as a round of the MSA National Rally Championship, only relinquishing the ARC component.

MSA attributed the situation to lack of necessary funding for the continental element of the event which they say could unfortunately not be confirmed in the current challenging economic climate.

MSA added that South Africa will be able to return to the ARC calendar at some point in the future.

ARC ATLANTIC RALLY OF TANZANIA RESULTS

1 (#101) Karan Patel /Tauseef Khan KEN- (Ford Fiesta R5) 1:59:36

2 (#102)Leroy Gomes/Urshilla Gomes ZMB –(Ford Fiesta R5) 2:01:26

3 (#104) Hamza Anwar/Adnan Din KEN –(Ford Fiesta R3)  2:12:36

4 (#106) Jeremiah Wahome /Victor Okundi KEN –(Ford Fiesta R3) 2:19:45

5 (#1) Gurpal Sandhu/Dave Sihoka TZA -ZMB—(Mitsubishi Evolution X) 2:29:23

6 (41) Yassin Nasser /Ali Katumba UGA –(Subaru Impreza GVB) 2:52:13

DNF (#103)  Maxine Wahome/Murage Waigwa KEN  (Ford Fiesta R3

DNF (#105) McRae Kimathi /Mwangi KioniKEN  (Ford Fiesta R3)

DNF (108) Jas Mangat/Joseph Kamya UGA- (Mitsubishi Evolution X)

DNF (#107) Giancarlo Davite /Sylvia Vindevogal RWA -BDI- (Mitsubishi Evolution X)

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – Newly crowned world 5000m silver medalist Beatrice Chebet says she wants to follow in the footsteps of world 10,000m silver medalist Hellen Obiri by clinching the world title at next year’s edition in Budapest, Hungary.

Chebet described Obiri as a role model and friend who has constantly encouraged to aim for the throne of the women’s 5000m.

“She is someone I have admired for a long time and interacted with in many competitions. She is always quick to wish me good luck in every race I am participating in such as when I went for the Doha Diamond League,” Chebet said.

“When I heard that she was planning on transitioning to the road races, I knew this is my chance to progress up the ladder. She also encouraged me…telling me that I have all the ingredients to one day become a world champion and rule the women’s 5000m,” the 2018 World Under 20 5000m champion said.

The 22-year-old timed 14:46.75 to finish second, behind world 1500m indoor champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia who timed 14:46.29 as her fellow countrywoman, Dawit Seyaum (14:47.36) finished third.

It has been a plentiful harvest for Chebet in 2022 thus far, considering it is only a month ago that she clinched the continental title at the Senior Africa Athletics Championships in Reduit, Mauritius.

She revealed that her self-belief was the secret weapon she had used to push herself against her more fancied competitors.

“If you look at the start list, you could see that there were so many pre-race favourites. If we were to be ranked based on this, I would maybe have been placed in 10th because of the relative inexperience I have at the senior level. However, I was not thinking about all that rather I believed in myself and knew I would be rewarded if only I applied everything I had acquired in training,” she said.

Chebet’s attention turns to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she will be flying the national flag alongside Selah Jepleting.

She believes her silver medal is only the beginning of what she expects to culminate in an Olympic gold in Paris in two years’ time.

“Selah is a strong runner as well so you can expect that we are going to do better in Birmingham. After that, the focus will be on the World Championships in Hungary of which I am dreaming of the world title. It doesn’t stop there…I want to shine in Paris in 2024, all by the grace of God,” Chebet said.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – World Under 20 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi believes his inexperience at the senior level cost him a podium place at the World Championships in Oregon.

The fastest 800m runner at the World Under 20 level clocked 1:44.54 to finish fourth in the men’s final, in which his countryman, Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir coasted to victory in 1:43.71.

“It was my experience that cost me the win here today otherwise I would say that I have really improved since last year. I am at the peak of my physical fitness now … my inexperience as far as competing at a world stage like this was my main undoing. Regardless, this is my first-ever World Championship and I am happy to achieve that,” Wanyonyi said.

“Making it to the finals of such a prestigious competition in what was my debut is quite an achievement. I am happy and content with the fourth place finish considering the tough competition in the field,” he added.

Wanyonyi was also elated for Korir, who followed up his win at last year’s Tokyo Olympics with a world title to continue his emerging dominance of the one-lap race.

The junior athlete, who set a new World Under 20 record of 1:43.76 when he clinched the world title at last year’s championship in Nairobi, hopes to follow in the footsteps of his more experienced countryman.

“I am happy for him and for the fact that he has brought the 800m world title back to Kenya. I know my time will also come and will continue working hard towards it. Being here in Oregon and making it this far is enough motivation,” he said.

At the same time, Commonwealth 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal is looking to bounce back immediately from an eighth-place finish in the final.

Kinyamal described the disappointing result – in which he timed 1:47.07 – as a bad day in the office.

“I ran well for the first 700 metres before my body refused to respond at the last lap. I tried to push myself as hard as I could, but it was to no avail. Going to Birmingham, I am praying that all will go according to plan so I can easily defend my title. We are all heading there to do great things,” he said.

“Today was just one of those bad days as far as I am concerned. Otherwise, we can all smile because the world title is coming back to Kenya thanks to Korir,” Kinyamal added.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 26 – The Limuru Country Club will this week be a battleground as Kenya and Uganda renew their rivalry in the fifth edition of the Victoria Cup.

Kenya Golf Union (KGU) chair Njani Nderitu says the chilly weather in Limuru is the perfect recipe for cutthroat competition expected at the course as the hosts seek to reclaim the title they lost in 2019.

The tournament starts on Thursday and is set to run through Sunday.

“Golf is a sport played in different kinds of environments and as amateur golfers, they have to be prepared to compete in different conditions. The dates for the event were sent a long time ago and the invites were sent to Uganda,”Nderitu said.

He adds; “We did not expect this kind of weather but in any case both teams are not strangers to Limuru. The weather is just perfect for both of them,” Nderitu said.

The first edition of the Victoria Cup was held in 2016 with Kenya clinching the first three editions before Uganda won the last one in 2019 in Entebbe.

Kenya, however, gained their pound of flesh when they won the Africa Zone IV Golf Championships in Uganda, a fortnight ago.

Despite their dominance over their East African rivals, Nderitu gave credit to Uganda for the strides made in recent years.

He admitted the need for the hosts to remain alert lest their opponents return home with the cup for the second consecutive time.

“The truth is Uganda is not an easy opponent to play against. The fact that they won in 2019 shows how far they have come but I believe we also have what it takes to ensure the cup remains here in Kenya. We have trained well and are prepared,” Nderitu said.

The Kenyans, under the tutelage of John van Liefland, have been in training for the past three weeks.

Both Kenya and Uganda will be represented by 10 golfers each.

Speaking at the same time, KGU Honorary Secretary David Ndung’u described the Victoria Cup as part of the federation’s long-term plan  of nurturing young talents in the sport.

“If you look at the team named for this weekend’s competition, 30 percent of them are junior players. This goes to show the developmental plans we have in nurturing young players to give them the opportunity to make it international,” Ndung’u said.

After this weekend’s assignment, attention shifts to the All Africa Golf Team Championships in Cairo, Egypt on September 25 as well as the Kenya Open in March next year.

Kenyan team:

Dennis Maara (Captain); Adel Balala; Andrew Wahome; Christopher Andrea; Daniel Kiragu; Ebil Omollo; John Lejirma; Michael Karanga; Njoroge Kibugu; and Sammy Mulama.

Schedule of events:

Thursday 28th July – Practice round and flag raising ceremony

Friday 29th July – Main event round 1 (four ball better ball); main event round 2 (foursomes)

Saturday 30th July – Main event round 3 (four ball better ball); main event round 4 (foursomes)

Sunday 31st July – Main event round 5 (singles); subsidiary event (Texas scramble)

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 26 – The Ministry of Sports has embarked on an ambitious initiative to identify and nurture promising sports talents in different schools across 15 counties.

The programme, dubbed ‘Making of Champions of Tomorrow’, targets approximately 20,000 schoolchildren, aged 6-16 years, who will be tutored on the basics of various sports including volleyball, athletics, football, basketball and rugby.

Speaking on behalf of the ministry, sports event organiser Jimmy Geeraerts said the idea is to provide exceptional talents with a launchpad for their careers.

“The idea is to go out there and find young talent. We have football and then we have other disciplines that, maybe, many children have not been able to access facilities and therefore lost interest in them. If we see any talent standing out in these disciplines, we will have daily meetings with their professional coaches. Each discipline will have a professional coach to guide the youngsters,” Geeraerts said.

The first phase of the initiative targets Thika, Embu and Nyeri before resuming on August 26 after the General Elections.

Geeraerts is hopeful the programme will unearth the next Ferdinand Omanyala (Africa 100m champion) in addition to other sportspersons who have brought glory to Kenya.

“You say probably but I say hopefully from among this group we will find the next Omanyala. Let’s hope that it will be a long-term initiative. We will see how it goes and if all goes well then it might become even bigger,”  he said.

He was speaking at Ofafa Jericho Primary School, Nairobi during a rolling out of the initiative.

During the ceremony, the schoolchildren were taken through their paces in football, volleyball and athletics.

In athletics, they were taught warm up, shot put and jumping techniques whereas football prospects were tutored on dribbling, passing and shooting.

In volleyball, the pupils received training on passing, serving, tossing and hitting.

Ofafa Jericho’s headmistress, Catherine Njoroge, said the initiative will not only benefit participants in their sports careers but life in general.

“I want to urge all young people to come out and show their talents. It will help nurture young talent and the students are exercising their bodies. Also, having invited all these schools, the children are learning about the importance of teamwork,” she said.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 26 – As he prepares to debut for Kenya at the World Under 20 Championships, junior athlete Emmanuel Wafula says his lack of school fees was a small blessing in disguise to help him clinch the ticket to Cali.

The Form Three student at Chesito Secondary School in Mount Elgon had to spend some time out of school and says he took it as an opportunity to sharpen himself in the 3,000m steeplechase.

“I do not come from a well-to-do background and so school fees were quite a challenge. I had to spend some time out of school. Rather than pitying myself, I decided to intensify my training to see if I could go far in athletics and uplift our living standards. Thankfully later on, my school principal allowed me to resume studies while training at the same time,” Wafula said.

The Bungoma-born athlete stormed to victory at the national trials for the biennial championship early this month at the Nyayo National Stadium, timing 8:32.09.

It was the perfect way to redeem himself after a failed attempt in 2021 to make the team for the previous edition, held on home soil in August of the same year.

“I started training for the national trials in 2020 during the Covid-19 period and made it to the national trials last year. However, I did not succeed but never lost heart rather went back to training, with an eye on this year’s trials,” Wafula said.

One thing on his mind is Kenya’s dwindling fortunes in the water and barrier race in the aftermath of the World Championship in Oregon where the country relinquished the world title to Soufiane El Bakkali.

The Moroccan was also the villain-in-chief when he cruised to an Olympic gold at last August’s summer games in Tokyo.

Wafula, who will be joined in the race by fellow countryman Peter Rono, believes the onus is on them to redeem the country’s image in the Southwest Colombian city of Cali.

“As for me, I have set gold as my minimum target going to Cali. This race (steeplechase) has been traditionally ours and we will fight tooth-and-nail to cover the country’s shame in Colombia. Regardless, I do not feel any pressure and would like to encourage all Kenyans not to lose hope in us but cheer us on,” he said.

“I hope to follow in the footsteps of Ezekiel Kemboi and Amos Serem (World Under 20 defending champion). I am fortunate to have interacted with them and was impressed with the confidence they exude in themselves,” Wafula added.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 26 – The Kenyan team for next week’s World Under 20 Championship have been advised not to forget their school work and keep studying even as they compete at the biennial competition in Cali, Colombia.

Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei urged the juniors to use their spare time wisely by working on their school assignments to keep pace with their classmates back home.

“Those competitors who are still in school…we would like to remind them to continue with their learning. They can use the spare time they have during the competition to read and work on their school assignments because our wish for them is to advance their education to the highest standards,”  Tuwei said.

“I am actually very happy that the team officials, including the head coach to the team manager and the chaperone are all qualified teachers. They are also qualified in their areas of coaching. The reason we have done this is to enable those in school to continue learning even as they are competing,”  he added.

Tuwei further reminded the athletes to be their brother and sister’s keepers, cheering each other and walking together as a team during their one-week stay in Latin America.

“We have reminded them that they are a team and so should cheer and advise one another. We have reminded them of the importance of good behaviour and the need to uphold the country’s image as a sports powerhouse…the need to be loyal and maintain the integrity of our nation,”  he said.

Kenya will be aiming to defend its World Under 20 title for the third consecutive time after first clinching the crown in 2018 in Tampere, Finland, before a medal haul of 15 on home soil last year tightened the country’s grip on the throne.

The AK president reminded the athletes that Kenya will be the country to beat, hence the need for a solid bond among them.

“There will be many countries in the competition and the focus will be on Kenya since we are the defending champions. If we work together as a team and work hard, then we will be able to defend our title for the third time,” he said.

“I am impressed by the preparations as well as the selection of the athletes. We know they are capable of defending our title because of the preparations, including a group of sprinters who went to Miramas, France. They look very confident,” Tuwei added.

The team of 28 athletes will depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for Cali on Friday, ahead of the first race on Monday.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27 – Two-time Olympian and Team Kenya Boxing skipper Nick Okoth says he has a mission to ‘shut his wife up’ at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom when he steps on to the ring as from Saturday when the preliminary rounds start.

The Kenya Defence Forces pugilist, nicknamed ‘Commander’ says his wife has already told him there is no room for excuses as he heads out to a second successive appearance at the ‘Club Games’.

“When I went home to pick some stuff after we broke camp, my wife told me ‘Nick you have trained well this time don’t try to come with excuses’. I didn’t even know what to tell her. I just laughed. The only way to silence her is to bring a medal home,” Okoth said from Birmingham after holding his first training session.

He added; “I told her it’s okay. Even my kid tried to start a case but I told them it is okay I have heard them. I left knowing that I have a mission ahead of me.”

Okoth couldn’t make it past the first round at the last Games in Gold Coast, Australia, where he lost by unanimous decision in the first round to Michael Alexander of Trinidad and Tobago.

At the Tokyo Olympic Games last year, Okoth narrowly lost 3-2 to Mondolian Erdenebatyn Tsendbaatar in about that he and his coaches left with a bitter taste in their mouths accusing the judges of unfairness.

But this time, as his wife rightly told him, there is no room for excuses.

“I feel really psyched up and ready. I don’t even know where all this motivation has come from but I feel really ready,” Okoth said.

He added; “I have started to focus on my bout since we touched down. I have trained really well and I feel alright. Boxing is not like football where I can pass to a teammate. Here it is all about me. I want to take in the game from the first round and give my all.”

In Birmingham, Kenya is represented by Okoth, Christine Ongare, Shaffi Bakari and Elizabeth Andiego.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27 – Kenyan para athlete Samson Ojuka says one of the best things to happen to his sprint career is the chance to train with able-bodied athletes, including Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala.

Ojuka has been in residential training at Moi Stadium, Kasarani in preparations for the Commonwealth Games during which time he interacted with able-bodied athletes training for the World Championships and the Club Games.

“We had the opportunity to train with athletes who were also in another residential camp for Athletics Kenya. They were kind enough to include us in their training programme, which turned out really great as it made us push ourselves to the limit. This is the inclusivity we have been calling for and finally it happened” the 100m specialist said.

“I have really improved on my running style because being on the same track with someone like Omanyala really pushes you to be the best. The most important aspect is technique and that is what I have improved on a lot as a person by training with our able-bodied partners,” he added.

The sprinter will be making his maiden appearance at the Commonwealth Games but is unperturbed by the pressure awaiting him on the big stage.

Ojuka points to the many competitions he has participated in since 2018 as enough morale for him in Birmingham.

“This will be my first Commonwealth Games. I know there will be experienced opponents but with the kind of training I have had, I am confident of a good finish. I don’t think I will be overawed by the occasion because I have competed in many events since 2018,” he says.

Ojuka adds; “This year, for example, I have been to Dubai and Tunisia in addition to competing in Morocco last year where I posted good results. I believe it will not be any different this time round but being a Commonwealth, I will have to put in more effort.”

The para athlete does not plan to stop there. His ultimate dream is to qualify for the Paris Paralympics in 2024 and will begin his journey to France in September at the qualifiers in September this year.

“It will be one of our many qualifiers, which we will have until October of next year. I really hope for the best and dream of making it to Paris,” he said.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 28 – Athletics Kenya (AK) youth development boss Barnaba Korir is hopeful Kenya will replicate their performance at the 2018 World Under 20 Championships at next week’s edition in Cali, Colombia.

On that occasion, Kenya amassed 11 medals – six gold, four silver and one bronze – in Tampere, Finland to top the medal standings ahead of Jamaica and the United States.

The U.S. gave the next edition – held in Nairobi last year – a wide berth due to the Covid-19 pandemic as Kenya defended its crown with a harvest of 15 medals.

Despite the presence of the Americans in Colombia, Korir believes the current crop of juniors can ward off the U.S. threat.

“In Tampere, we topped the medal standings and emerged as champions ahead of the Americans. Granted, they were not present at the last edition. However, I believe these athletes can do what their peers did in Finland even if the Americans will be in Cali, this time around,” Korir said.

The team of 28 athletes has been in residential training at Moi Stadium, Kasarani and are expected to depart for Latin America on Friday.

Commenting on the progress of the camp, Korir noted that the athletes have improved immensely under the tutelage of head coach, Robert Ngisirei.

“What we have noted is that the times for the different athletes have improved. It means they have been really working hard. Our hope is that this effort will be translated to a competition setting in Cali. Everything is okay and we are all set to go. Any issues emerging, we assure our athletes that they will be catered to,” he said.

At the same time, he spoke about AK’s renewed efforts to tap and develop talents in the sprints and field events.

“In the long-distance races, we can see that we are already doing very well. So, it is now time to pay more attention to the sprints and field events. It is beautiful that for the first time we have a field athlete who has qualified for the World Under 20 in long jump,” Korir said.

He added: “We have realised that talent development at a young age is the way to go. We would want our sprinters and field athletes to start winning medals and that is why we want to pay more attention to this area. We are also keen to ensure that all the athletes at the junior level can smoothly transition to the senior ranks.”

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 28 – Kenya’s top female driver Maxine Wahome has been named as the LG/Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) sports personality of the month for June, following her WRC3 historic run at the WRC Safari Rally.

Wahome, 26, became the first ever woman to win a major WRC race category when she clinched the WRC3 title in the dusty terrain of Naivasha last month, cruising in the Ford Fiesta Rally 3 Car for the first time ever.

“My goal in the Safari was just to learn the car more and day by day improve on my speed and driving lines, but I am glad I delivered the all-important win incidentally on my second appearance of the iconic event,” an excited Wahome said as she received her award on Thursday morning.

She added; “Wednesday of the rally week was my first time in the car. I normally drive a Subaru Impreza N12. The only testing I got with the car was on Tarmac, which is completely different to the Safari.”

To win the monthly award, Maxine beat several other nominees including Rugby Driftwood 7s MVP Daniel Taabu and African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala who timed 9.93 to win gold in the men’s 100m at the Senior Africa Athletics Championship in Reduit, Mauritius. 

For her award, Wahome not only gets an engraved trophy but an LG Intelligent Washing Machine worth Sh85,000.

“It’s such a great feeling to be crowned the monthly winner more so in a field where Kenya’s long and middle distance runners have reigned supreme globally,” she said.

Wahome’s rally very nearly unravelled on the Friday itinerary when she was sidelined by an engine control unit fault on the final test, but the youngster was able to restart on Saturday and reclaimed the top spot as her rivals came unstuck.

Wahome joins the growing list of 2022 sports personalities to win the monthly award, including tennis star Angela Okutoyi in January, Junior WRC’s McRae Kimathi in February, Japan’s Nagoya Marathon winner Ruth Chepng’etich in March, April’s Boston Marathon men’s winner Evans Chebet and national volleyball team lady star Sharon Chepchumba in May.

LG Electronics East Africa Marketing Manager Changhyun Kim congratulated Maxine for her fairy tale feat.

Kim remarked: “LG Electronics East Africa is proud to be associated with Kenya’s talented sports personalities who continue to excell both in Kenya and overseas.”

“Maxine’s feat has inspired countless other women across the globe to approach the male-dominated sport with the much-needed resilience and gusto.”

“As a corporate entity, we are glad that this award continues to reward excellence over and above positioning juniors and women athletes as the future of sport in the country.”

On his part, SJAK President Chris Mbaisi thanked LG for their longstanding generous support towards the sporting agenda in the country.

“The award continues to ascertain latent talent in Kenyan sporting circles and indeed motivate sportsmen and women for their stellar performances.”

“Our longstanding partnership with LG Electronics is a clear indication that the Kenyan sporting area is a world of possibilities. I congratulate Maxine for her extraordinary feat. It put Kenya on the world map,” Mbaisi remarked.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 28 – World Under 20 racewalk champion Heristone Wanyonyi says he will battle gallantly to defend his crown in Cali despite being the only Kenyan in the men’s 20km walking race.

Although he concedes he will feel lonely, Wanyonyi said he remains focused on reclaiming the title he won on home soil last year despite the presence of strong opposition.

“Racewalking is a very big sport especially in countries like Japan, China and India who have very wonderful race walkers. I will be the only Kenyan on the startlist…I wish I had company but regardless I have prepared well and if all goes well, I will be in the medal bracket,” Wanyonyi said.

“I know as a champion, I will be the man to beat. I expect that every move of mine will be closely watched by my competitors. The good thing is I have learnt new tactics in the past one year and I am ready to defend my crown,” he added.

The 19-year-old burst onto the scene at last year’s World Under 20 Championships, clocking 42:84.01 to clinch the world title.

In March this year, he was part of the Kenyan team at the World Race Walking Challenge in Muscat, Oman where he finished fourth in the men’s 10km race walk after timing a national under 20 record of 45:18.

He is dreaming of big things in Colombia, including possibly smashing the world record at the junior level.

“My aim is not only to win a medal but also to smash the world record and set a new personal best. My PB is currently 42:00 whereas the world record is 39:00 so I am right to be motivated about smashing it. But I know I will have to dictate the pace of the race because most of my competitors – according to my analysis – like to start slowly in the first two laps before picking up. If I were to fall in their strategy, I wouldn’t achieve my target,” he said.

Wanyonyi is the captain of the 28-athlete team that departed for Cali, Colombia on Friday for the World Under 20 Championship, which commence on Monday.

Kenya are the defending champions after amassing 15 medals at last year’s edition at Moi Stadium, Kasarani.

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29 – Different Kenyan athletes will be in action in different sports on the opening day of competition at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom on Friday, following a glitzy opening ceremony late Thursday night.

Here is a summary of the timings of different sporting action that involves Team Kenya.

3×3 Wheelchair Basketball

6:45pm – Kenya vs England (women)

3×3 Basketball

5:30pm – Canada vs Kenya (Men)

7:35pm – Kenya vs Sri Lanka (women)

11:10pm – Sri Lanka vs Kenya (Men)

11:35pm – Australia vs Kenya (Women)

Triathlon

1:01pm – Joseph Okal, men’s Individual Sprint distance final

4:31pm – Aisha Nasser, women’s Individual Sprint distance final

Swimming:

1:27pm – Ridhwan Bwana, men’s 50m Butterfly, Heat 3

2:04pm – Imara Bella Thorpe, women’s 100m butterfly Heat 2

2:10pm – Emily Muteti, women’s 100m Butterfly Heat 4

2:30pm – Mixed 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – Heat 1

Hockey

11am – New Zealand vs Kenya (women)

Rugby Sevens

12:50pm – Kenya vs Uganda (men)

8:58pm – Kenya vs Jamaica (men)

The post Here’s Kenya’s Day One schedule at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham appeared first on Capital Sports.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29 – Kenya’s three on three basketball teams will be looking to stun favourites when they tip off in Birmingham on Friday.

Kenya qualified by virtue of its status as the top Commonwealth African nation in the respective FIBA 3×3 Federation Rankings for men and women.

The men face Canada and Sri Lanka in their opening two matches on Friday evening while the women face off with Australia and Sri Lanka in their opening two matches.

READ ALSO: Here’s Kenya’s Day One Schedule At The Commonwealth Games In Birmingham

The men’s team has Faheem Juma who turns out for Equity, Larry Shavanga and John Odhiambo while the women’s team has USA-based Victoria Reynolds, Equity Hawks’ and national five on five skipper Melissa Atieno as well as KPA’s Hilda Indasi.

Speaking ahead of their first match on Friday, Indasi says they are ready to compete.

“We started our training almost two months ago and the sessions have been intense. We are now in Birmingham and we can feel the competition spirit and we are ready,” said Indasi.

She added; “I love the pressure. The fact that we are the only African country here and also given the history that we haven’t been participating as much is huge for us. But we have lots of potential to compete.”

While Kenya has not been known to be a huge basketball country worldwide, Indasi and co are out to show that the country has been on the growth.

Indasi says 3×3 basketball is different from the normal competitive basketball and notes that it is anybody’s game with no favourites.

“Three on three is mostly about IQ and quick decision making. I think it is not a lot about talent, with all due respect to those who play it professionally. I believe we are all on the same level. I also believe that victory here is more achievable than five on five,” noted Indasi, a mainstay in the women’s national team.

She says the team’s strategy will be to ensure they are on the lead always as the games are fast and intense and trailing at any point is detrimental to victory.

3×3 Basketball schedule

5:30pm – Canada vs Kenya (Men)

7:35pm – Kenya vs Sri Lanka (women)

11:10pm – Sri Lanka vs Kenya (Men)

11:35pm – Australia vs Kenya (Women)

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29 – The Kenyan women hockey team has had a disastrous start to their Commonwealth Games debut after suffering a 16-0 loss at the hands of New Zealand on Friday morning.

The New Zealanders have been emphatic in their performance, leading 9-0 at halftime with a 3-0 score at the end of the first quarter and 6-0 at the end of the second.

Olivia Shannon and kipper Olivia Merry scored a hatrick each,  Stephanie Dickins, Kaitlyn Cotter, Megan Hull and Alia Jaques netted a brace each while Alex Lukin and Rose Tynan have scored one goal apiece.

Against the defending champions, Kenya, marking their debut in the competition had a mountain to climb from the onset. They had an early chance to stun the holders from early on when they won a penalty corner, but their poor execution saw play quickly turned over.

On the turn of play, the New Zealanders broke the deadlock when Jaques sounded the board with an easy tap in after the Kenyan backline was opened up with a cutback off the right.

The Blacksticks were devastating on the penalty corner and they doubled their lead  from the setpiece with Dickins’ drag flick off a simple push-stop-flick routine.

The holders were quickly pinning Kenya down and they made it 3-0 towards the end of the opening quarter, Shannon scoring the first of her three with another simple finish after Kenya was found sleeping off a quickly started line ball on the right.

The second quarter was more devastating for the Blades who were blunted with the holders scoring six unanswered goals.

They went 4-0 up off a penalty flick after a Kenyan defender stopped a goalbound effort with her shin a yard off the line.

Kenya’s day went from bad to worse when Joan Maranda had to come out injured and needed to get to the hospital after the ball landed on her face, Lynne Mwangi replacing her.

The change of defensive shape was a massive blow for the Blades as New Zealand used the moment of re-organization to score more.

Lukin sounded the board for the fifth when a defensive clearance fell kindly on her path before another short corner bore the sixth, Dickins drag-flicking again on the second bite of the cherry after the initial shot was blocked.

It was 7-0 with under a minute to half time Shannon scoring a brace with a deflection before they scored two more within the final seconds, Hull’s rasping hit from a short corner and Jaques’ second of the day taking half time scores to 9-0.

New Zealand scored three more in the third quarter, Davies hitting home after a quickly started foul before Tynan’s well struck back-hand off a counter made it 11 and Shannon completing her hattrick off another counter just before the break.

The BlackSticks used another penalty corner to their advantage, same push-stop-drag routine seeing Cotter score, though on the second bite of the cherry after her initial effort was halted.

A similar short corner routine would see New Zealand pulling further away, Cotter adding her second with her shot going through Caroline Guchu’s legs . Skipper Merry’s hit would count for goal number 15 before quickly adding the 16^th.

The Blades will have to sharpen their focus again as they face another tricky test against 2014 champions and 2018 silver medal winners Australia.

Additional reporting by Omondi Otieno

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NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29 – Shujaa started off their Commonwealth Games campaign on a high, hitting Uganda’s Rugby Cranes 27-14 in their opening Group D match in Birmingham on Friday afternoon.

Shujaa ran in five tries, one of which was converted while Uganda crossed over twice, and converted all, but not enough to shake down a well worked victory for Damian McGrath’s men.

Johnstone Olindi crossed over twice while Billy ‘The Kid’ Odhiambo, Herman Humwa and Kelvin Wekesa had one try each for Shujaa. Former Kabras Sugar man Philip Wokarach and Timothy Kisiga went over for Uganda.

Olindi dotted down Kenya’s first try when SHujaa took advantage of Uganda’s numerical handicap. Ian Munyani was sent to the sinbin for lifting on the tackle and from the resultant scrum, Olindi sneaked on the outside to dot down. The conversion was wide and Shujaa led 5-0.

The Kenyan boys extended the lead to 12-0 when Humwa crossed over following a pretty offload from Tony Omondi. Off a quickly taken penalty, Olindi picked up, swung to Omondi who dummied past three markers before releasing Humwa.

The conversion was good and Shujaa stood 12-0 tall.

They extended the score to 17-0 when Odhiambo also got into the try party after Kenya won the ball from the restart. From the base of a ruck, Odhiambo sneaked off with the ball and dotted down.

Uganda however narrowed the deficit just before halftime when Kisiga found some space in the backline and cut through, the conversion following home for a 17-7 score at the break.

Former Kabras man Wokarach used his speed on the right to glide away under the posts to reduce the game to a three-point contest with his converted try, creating some butterflies for Kenya.

But the experienced Shujaa bounced back, taking advantage of Uganda’s indiscipline once again when Adrian Kasito was sent to the sin bin.

With numbers in their favour, Olindi added his second of the afternoon when he sneaked through a gap in the Ugandan defense. The conversion was wide but Shujaa had a 22-14 lead.

At the death, substitute Wekesa completed the party with a good run down the right, Uganda’s pack being pulled away to the left to create space.

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