Koranga wins February SJAK prize

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) basketball forward Felmas Koranga is the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya/StarTimes Player of the Month for February 2018.

Koranga beat eight other athletes that included Winter Olympian Sabrina Wanjiku, rugby ace Darwin Mukidza of Kenya Commercial Bank, Tokyo Marathon champion Dickson Chumba and Stacy Ndiwa who won the national cross-country championships.

Others were wheelchair tennis player Jane Ndenga, Commonwealth Games trials winner Edward Zakayo, KPA men’s Most Valuable Player Evans Letting and 2018 IAAF World Indoor Tour 1,500m winner Beatrice Chepkoech.

The 22-year-old Social Work and Community Development student was unanimously voted for by the panel of journalists handling the prestigious monthly prize sponsored by pay TV channel StarTimes.

The former Shimba Hills player led KPA to beat arch rivals Equity Banks Hawks from the 2017 Kenya Basketball Federation Women’s Premier League title, whose curtains came down at Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa on February 24.

Koranga scored a game high 19 points to steer KPA to a 74-49 (20-09, 23-17, 18-6,25-5) win against Equity in the decisive Game Three. She was also named the league’s Most Valuable Player after steering her club to win the best of five play-off series with a 3-0 aggregate.

“It was a tough 2017 season. We were able to win the regional contest and post good results at the continental championships,” she said.