HIT SQUAD HOPEFUL: Gicharu concedes tough task awaits but says medal bracket possible

BOXING PICTURES National bantamweight champion Benson Njangiru Gicharu(Right in blue) emerges the winner in their semi final clash against Victor Rodriguez of Venezuela of the World Professional Boxing Championships in Vargas, Venezuela last week. (Picture Courtesy)

National bantamweight champion Benson Njangiru Gicharu has predicted a tough outing at the Rio Olympics in Brazil next month, but is confident Kenyan boxers can reach the medal bracket.

Gicharu said they had gone through a rigorous qualification campaign after Confederation of African Boxing (CAB) and global governing body, AIBA, changed the criteria for Olympics qualifying.

This, he said, has forced CAB and AIBA to cut down on the number of pugilists for the big games following the introduction of the professional boxers into the championships.

“In past selections, we used to get more slots as amateurs at the continental and global qualifiers compared to the recent qualifiers. It would be more competitive and tougher to reach the medal bracket but we are equal to the task,” Gicharu told Feverpitch at Madison Square Garden, Nakuru before the team left for Brazil on Sunday.

In past continental qualifiers, CAB allocated six slots for each weight category as opposed to the current three for the Rio Olympics.

AIBA used to allocate 10 slots in each weight category for the Olympics and this time round, they have only put up six slots per weight category.

Gicharu is making his second attempt at the big games, having participated at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Other players in the National Boxing Team, popularly referred to as ‘The Hit Squad’ are light flyweight Peter Mungai of Kenya Police and welterweight Rayton Okwiri of Kenya Prisons.

Gicharu qualified for the big games after he won a gold medal at the inaugural World Professional Boxing Championships in Vargas, Venezuela last month while Mungai and Okwiri did so at the African Olympic qualifiers in Younde, Cameroon in March.

Okwiri also won a gold medal at the continental qualifiers after he smashed Mohammed Azuma of Ghana in the welterweight finals while Mungai gained his ticket after the withdrawal of South African light flyweight champion Bandla Sibusiso from the games.

They are handled by head coach Patrick Maina assisted by David Munuhe.