Road to Tokyo begins
By People Reporter, March 25, 2021Faith Nzilani
National Women’s Volleyball team Malkia Strikers, began residential training in earnest on Tuesday at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics set for July 23 to August 8.
The team will be making a return to the Games since they last took part in 2004.
In an elaborate plan to get the team in shape for the kind of competition expected at the Summer Games, Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) has organised two training camps outside the country, in Brazil and Turkey, before the team can join the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K)- organised camp in Japan.
The squad of 19 currently at Kasarani, with setter Jane Wacu who is plying her trade in Seychelles for Club Anse Royale, yet to join camp, will train under coaches Paul Bitok, Japheth Munala and Josp Barasa for the next two weeks.
“Next month, four coaches from Brazil attached to Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) will be in the country to offer their services to the team ahead of the Olympics.
After the training under the four coaches alongside the local technicalbench, four playera will be dropped as 16 head to Brazil for a month for high performance training,” confirmed KVF president Waithaka Kioni.
Malkia are set to be in Brazil from May 1 to 30 after which they will be back in the country, albeit for a short while as another two-week training and test matches await in Turkey.
As organised by NOC-K, the final squad of 12 players is then scheduled to train in Kurobe City, Japan so as to acclimatise ahead of the Summer Games.
“The players will be in the training bubble at Kasarani until they departs for Brazil.
We are in strick adherence to government’s and International Olympics Committee (IOC) protocol on prevention of the spread of Covid-19 for the sake of all players and officials involved.
All players were tested ahead of camp and random tests will be conducted while still in camp,” added Kioni, who doubles as Team Kenya’s Chef De Mission to the Olympics.
All players in camp are playing locally, with Wacu the only professional currently. Head coach, Bitok has retained core of the squad that did duty as Kenya qualified for the Olympics.
Kenya Pipeline’s middle blocker Triza Atuka, who has since recovered from an injury that denied her a chance to be part of the team that represented the country at the Olympics qualifiers held in Cameroon early last January failed to make Bitok’s provisional squad.
NOC-K had attached renowned strength and conditioning coach Geoffrey Kimani to work with Atuka on her recovery journey ahead of the Olympics preparations. She featured in her side’s last league match at Nyayo against Prisons Kenya last Friday.