Poor outing for Kenyan athletes: Boxer Gicharu, weightlifter Bukose beaten as Mbugua also fail in Lawn Bowl

 

Webstar Lukose of Kenya lifts in the men's 77kg weightlifting event at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast on April 7, 2018. / AFP PHOTO

Kenya’s hopes for a medal in boxing now rests on the shoulders of Owuor.

Yesterday was a bad day in office for Kenyans as boxer Benson Gicharu, weightlifter Webstar Lukose and lawn bowler Eunice Mbugua found the going tough in pursuit of Commonwealth Games medals.

Gicharu, a bantam weight bronze medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland fell to England’s Peter McGrail in the same category which ended his hopes of another medal. He exited after the judges’ unanimous decision in favour of the Briton.

Kenya’s hopes of winning men’s boxing medals are now on the shoulders of middleweight pugilist Ken Owour, lightfly Shaffi Hassan who made it to the quarters after a 3-2 win over Namibia’s Matia Hamunyela, Brian Agina (flyweight) and Nick Abaka (light heavyweight).  

Owour takes to the ring today at 1:47pm against New Zealand’s Ryan Scaife in hunt for a place in the quarter-finals. Hassan on the other hand will battle for a semi-final spot against Uganda’s Juma Miiro on Tuesday at 6:32am.

In the women’s contest, lightweight boxer Lornah Kusah will face off with Marie-Jeanne Parent of Canada in the quarter-finals at 12:17pm. Middleweight Elizabeth Andiego as well as bantamweight Christine Ongare are also still in the hunt for boxing medals.

In lawn bowls, Mbugua’s hopes of a podium finish were shattered when she lost to Nooroa Mataio from Cook Islands in the women singles contest.

Mbugua succumbed to pressure going down 19-18 to her opponent in a tightly contested encounter in round five.

Mihiliya Methsarani from Sri Lanka beat Kenya’s Khaaliqa Nimji 3-0 in the first women squash plate semi-final.

Nimji, who was seeking redemption in the plate challenge after failing to advance in the women’s medal hunt lost 11-6, 12-10 and 13-11. All the Sri Lankan needed was 17 minutes to beat the Kenyan and make it to the plate final.

In weight-lifting, Lukose finished in tenth position after lifting 282kg. India’s Satish Kumar won gold after lifting 317kg.

England’s Jack Oliver won silver with Australian Francois Etounde getting the bronze.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Chad le Clos likened himself to swimming legend Michael Phelps yesterday after blasting his way to a hat-trick of Commonwealth Games titles in the 200m butterfly adds AFP.

The four-time world champion clocked a Games record of one minute, 54 seconds flat to become the first male swimmer to win three consecutive Commonwealth gold medals in the same event.

“I wanted to get the three-peat,” said le Clos, who shot to fame at the 2012 London Olympics by stunning Phelps in the 200m butterfly.