Kenya’s Taekwondo national team wrapped up a successful campaign in Ethiopia, clinching an impressive haul of medals at two major international tournaments held in Addis Ababa from April 22 to 27, 2025.

The team dominated the Eastern Africa Zone Series, battling against rivals from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea.

Home team topped the medal standings with an outstanding performance across all categories, particularly excelling in the senior women’s division.

Gold medals came thick and fast, with Joseph Akwanyi (-80kg), Innocent Wafula (-87kg) and Moses Obara (+87kg) leading the charge for the senior men, while Edina Sichangi (-49kg) and Anne Omolo (-53kg) stood out among the women.

Mary Muriu (-57kg), Patience Nehema (-67kg), Jully Musangi (-73kg) and Faith Ogallo (+73kg) also claimed gold in their respective weight classes, while Stacy Alice Dock took home silver in the featherweight category.

In the juniors, Philip Litswa (-73kg) bagged a silver medal, adding to Kenya’s glittering tally.

The momentum continued at the prestigious 6th World Taekwondo President’s Cup for Africa, where Kenya made a bold statement despite facing some of the continent’s best fighters.

Jully Musangi (-73kg) and Mary Muriu (-57kg) each clinched bronze medals, with Muriu making it to the semi-finals before bowing out against a tough Moroccan opponent.

Other notable performances included Philip Pendo’s bronze in the junior category on Day 1, while seniors Anne Omolo and Evans Oloo advanced to the quarterfinals before narrowly missing out on medals.

Patience Nehema and Stacy Dock showed strong early promise but were stopped at the round of 16.

However, the tournament wasn’t without its setbacks as Haji Ombayo, Seth and Daniel Ochieng exited early after battling fiercely against Morocco, France and Côte d’Ivoire opponents, respectively.

Meanwhile, standout heavyweight Moses Obara reached the quarterfinals but was edged out by Gambia.

The national team is expected to use this experience as a springboard towards future international championships, with focus now shifting to preparations for the upcoming African Taekwondo Championships and Olympic qualifiers.