Malkia Strikers confident of success in Olympics group of death
New Malkia Strikers captain Trizah Atuka is bracing for a tough outing in the upcoming Summer Games in Paris after learning of Kenya’s group opponents.
Kenya will face a gigantic qualifying task after being pooled alongside world number one Brazil, fourth-ranked Poland, and Asian giants Japan who are placed seventh in the world rankings.
Wary Malkia Strikers
Atuka, who was appointed skipper of the side in the absence of Mercy Moim who misses the Olympics squad due to a nagging injury, noted that Malkia Strikers will need to improve on their recent performances if they are to make a mark in the quadrennial global showcase.
“It is a tough pool, of course, there’s no team that has gone to the Olympics for a walkover or to joke around. Everyone has qualified from their continent which means they are the best. I think it will be an uphill task for us and we need to really train smart and put in the hard work if we want to register a good performance for us to proceed to the next stage," Atuka said. 
The 32-year-old middle blocker believes that past experience in the Olympics and World Championships will play a key role in ensuring Kenya is able to pick good results against the global heavyweights.
“We are hopeful that we will do well because those are the same teams that we have met in the world championships and previous Olympics so we will just pick up from where we left off and improve on our performance and hope that we will be able to make history for both ourselves, our fans and our country,” Atuka said in an interview with Olympics Kenya.
Malkia’s Tokyo Olympics encounters with both Brazil and Japan ended in losses as they bowed out of the competition in the group stages.
Head Coach Japhet Munala has however maintained optimism saying their participation in the Challenger Cup slated for Manila, Philipines from July 4 to July 7 will give his team enough preparation ahead of the Paris Games.
Munala however acknowledged that his team was going to have to sweat to get a win in any of the fixtures as they enter their second week of training at the Kasarani Indoor Gymnasium.
“This is our second week in training and we have no injuries so far. The team is also bonding very well. We are hopeful that we are going to have a very good squad that will represent us well both in Manila and in the Olympics in France,” Munala said.
Munala will drop three players from the training squad before Malkia heads to Miramas, France for the final Olympic preparations.
Malkia Strikers provisional squad
Trizah Atuka, Edith Wisa, Belinda Barasa, Lorine Chebet, Veronicah Adhiambo, Juliana Namutira, Meldina Sande, Leonida Kasaya, Jemimah Siang'u, Mariam Musa, Esther Mutinda, Immaculate Nekesa, Sharon Chepchumba, Loice Simiyu, Mercy Iminza, Pamela Adhiambo, Agripina Kundu, Lincy Jeruto and Delphine Misoki.
For these and more credible stories, join our revamped Telegram and WhatsApp channels.
Telegram: https://t.me/peopledailydigital
WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va698juDOQIToHyu1p
