Team Kenya: Kenyan wrestlers eye continental glory in Morocco
Team Kenya wrestlers for the 12th All Africa Games in Morocco have set their eyes on continental glory as a means of qualifying for September’s World Wrestling Championships to be held in Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan.
Of the team of 10 wrestlers, (six men and four women), three have already secured qualification for the global event to be held in the European nation from September 14-22.
Ahead of their departure on Saturday for the continental games that will be held in the city of El Jadida, the trio of Mathayo Mahabila (65kg), John Omondi (87kg) and Alivisa Winrose (62kg) are all optimistic that Kenya will perform well in Morocco and make it to the world championships.
Head coach Linus Masheti says the team has been preparing well from their Kasarani training base which also acts as the residential camp ahead of the continental games.
“Mahabila, Omondi and Winrose are all champions in their categories locally.
Besides that, they won bronze during the 2018 African Championships. The other wrestlers are looking up to them for inspiration,” said Masheti, a former wrestler.
The coach and his team manager Eric Walucho, however, lamented that Kenya Wrestling Amateur Assosication (KAWA) was forced to drop equally good wrestlers due to limited slots.
“We were hoping to get 18 to enable us send the entire team but unfortunately that is beyond us.
We have to be upbeat that the team we have selected will excel in Morocco,” said Walucho, who was in Team Kenya for the 1987 All African Games held in Nairobi.
After the African Games, the wrestlers have no time to rest as they will head straight to camp to prepare for the World Championships that will also act as the 2020 Olympics qualifiers.
