Kenya taekwondo team travel by road for 31 hours for African Championship
By Peter Mulemi, July 12, 2022
The national Taekwondo has finally arrived in Kigali Rwanda for the Africa Team Cup Taekwondo Championship slated for July 13-17.
The team left Nairobi on Monday and endured a 31-hour journey to the Rwandan capital.
Eight members of the team arrived in Kigali aboard a Modern Coast bus on Tuesday with the second batch expected later on Wednesday. Milka Akinyi,Christopher Mutua, Cosmas Kimathi, Moses Mairang’a, Victor Nyakinda, Kennedy Kimemia, Hassan Juma and Hassan Nyare were in the first batch.
“We had several stopovers in Naivasha, Kisumu, Busia, Kampala and Katuna border before we finally entered Kigali. The experience was good because we were many, but some of us who were not used to long distance travel had complications like swollen feet,” said Kimathi said after the team arrived in Rwanda.
The second batch comprising Edna Sichangi (Finweight), Sharon Wafula (Flyweight), Mary Muriu (Bantamweight), Everlyn Aluoch (Middleweight), Olympian Faith Ogallo (Heavyweight), Shawn Michael (Featherweight), Evans Oduor (Lightweight), Innocent Wafula (Middleweight) and Moses Obara (Heavyweight) on Wednesday.
Innocent Wafula believes that he has what is takes to bring gold home despite the challenges the team has faced.
“My main threats are definitely 2016 Olympic gold medalist Sallah Cisse from Ivory Coast who is the defending African champion, and a Chadian player,” he told Nation Sports.
Olympian Faith Ogallo, who competed at the Olympics last year in Tokyo, also exuded confidence she will strike a medal.
“I’m ready and I hope to improve on the bronze medal that I got in Dakar, Senegal last year,” she said.