Kenyan squad prepare for Africa Zone Five contest

Kenya National Beach Volleyball team player Gaudencia Makokha in a training session. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD]

National women beach volleyball team will start residential camp tomorrow in preparation for Africa zone Five zonal championships in Dar es salaam, Tanzania, that run on January 9-12.

The team, who are also silver medalists from the Africa Beach Games in Cape Verde, remained confident ahead of the Africa beach volleyball qualifiers for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Kenya will be among five countries that will battle for the sole ticket for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The championships will be played on round robin basis.

Other countries are Egypt, Nigeria, Botswana and host Cameroon.

Coach Sammy Mulinge said Kenya will enter two women teams with Gaudencia Makokha and Prexedes Agala forming team A while Foscar Kasisi and Loice Chepkosgei marshaling forces in team B.

Mulinge said the girls will battle for the top two slots to qualify for the next round of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Zone Five zonal qualifiers.

“We are ready to claim the top two slots to qualify for second round to be held in March next year,” said Mulinge.

Mulinge, who was nominated Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) beach instructor recently, said the team has experienced players.

 Mulinge thanked African beach volleyball President Amr Elwani for nominating him as part of an elite group of 17 coaches who excelled in CAVB Online continental beach volleyball course. 

“Due to his good performance in the initial course he was selected to be part of an elite group of 17 coaches that proceeded to the 18-month training program which they completed. By virtue of their completion of this demanding, intensive and highly interactive course, he is now designated as CAVB instructors,” said Elwani in his letter. 

“In order to ensure  a return on the massive investment made on this coaches as well as the experience and knowledge he has acquired from the academy, we recommend that he be allowed facilitate at least two courses in your country per year and also give him preference in your national beach volleyball programmes.”