Boxing: Kenyan team arrives from Congo Brazzaville
Boxing
By
Caroline Nyanga
| Jun 28, 2017
Team shifts focus to Germany
No time to rest for boxers ahead of World Boxing Championships in Hamburg.
Kenyan boxers have little time to rest as they prepare for their next assignment in Germany.
Hours after arrival from the African Confederation Boxing Championships in Congo Brazzaville, where they won one gold medal, the boxers have vowed to up their training plan.
The players received heroic welcome for their good show that saw them qualify for the AIBA World Boxing Championships in Hamburg, Germany, from August 25 to September 3.
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The team of 12 boxers (10 male and two female) arrived on Monday night from the African Confederation Boxing Championships in Congo Brazzaville.
The team qualified for the AIBA World Boxing Championships despite their financial predicaments that saw them travel in two batches.
Kenya’s lightweight Nick Okoth won gold medal in the Africa bouts to confirm his place in the 2017 AIBA World Championships to be held in Germany.
Okoth is among three male boxers, who have qualified for the global show. The others are bronze medallists John Kyalo (middleweight) and Shaffi Bakari (light flyweight).
During the event, two Kenyan women boxers Elizabeth Akinyi (middleweight) and Christine Ongare lost in the semifinals to settle for bronze medals.
Okoth, who took part in the Beijing 2008 Olympics as a featherweight, savoured his lightweight gold medal and hopes to make it to Tokyo, Japan for the 2020 Olympics.
Okoth defeated Reda Benbaziz of Algeria in the lightweight (60kg) final. In light flyweight (49kg), Namibia’s Matias Hamunyela defeated Kenya’s Hassan Shaffi Bakari in the semis.
Egypt’s double-Olympian Hossam Hussein Bakr Abdin defeated John Nzioka Kyalo in the middleweight (75kg) semifinal.
Okoth, who is a younger brother of Kuala Lumpur 1998 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Absalom Okinyi, is seeking to qualify for a second career Olympic Games in a decade
The Kenya Boxing President John Kameta thanked the government for facilitating the team’s travel.
“I strongly believe the players and coaches have done their best. For the first time in 10 years, Okoth, who was the last boxer to get a gold medal in African Championships, has done Kenya proud by winning again in Congo,” said Kameta.
“With five medals, one gold and four bronze, I think this is a success story.
“It is a new beginning and clear indication that the coaches have put in a lot of effort,” added Kameta.
He added that the Kenyan team has plans to appeal for an African female championships.