Battered Kenyan boxers fight back, bowler on course

Kenya's High Commissioner to Australia Isaiah Kabira with Kenyan squash players Khaaliqa Nimji (centre) and Hardeep Reel (right) after the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Plate action at the Oxenford Studios on April 6, 2018. PHOTO | ELIAS MAKORI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The double win came as Eunice Mbugua remained in contention for a quarter-finals berth in the lawn bowls competition.
  • Ajowi’s exit followed the early elimination of lightweight Nick Okoth who lost to Trinidad and Tobago’s Michael Alexander on medical technicality on Thursday after a clash of heads left the two boxers requiring stitches.

IN GOLD COAST

An evening rally by light flyweight Shaffi Hassan Bakari and middleweight Edwin Okong’o atoned for the earlier disappointment of Elly Ajowi’s humiliation in the Commonwealth Games boxing ring at the Oxenford Studios on Friday.

The double win came as Eunice Mbugua remained in contention for a quarter-finals berth in the lawn bowls competition.

Kenya's Eunice Mbugua talks to the press after remaining in contention for a quarter-finals berth in the lawn bowls competition during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Broadbeach Bowls Club in Gold Coast on April 6, 2018. PHOTO | ELIAS MAKORI |

Mbugua’s star continued to shine at the Broadbeach Bowls Club as Ajowi was humiliated 5-0 in his heavyweight round of 16 boxing clash with Scotland’s Scott Forrest in the early afternoon session.

The judges – Sid Mokretari (Algeria), Jonathan Wolper (USA), Arnagirenthan Vadivel (Singapore), Mark Williams (Wales) and Atsuo Fujikasu (Japan) – were unanimous that the Scotsman outpointed Ajowi 30-26, 30-27, 30-26, 30-27 and 30-26.

Ajowi’s exit followed the early elimination of lightweight Nick Okoth who lost to Trinidad and Tobago’s Michael Alexander on medical technicality on Thursday after a clash of heads left the two boxers requiring stitches.

Scotland's Scott Forrest (in red) fights against Kenya's Elly Ochola Ajowi (in blue) during the men’s heavy (91kg) category preliminary boxing match during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Oxenford Studios venue in Gold Coast on April 6, 2018. PHOTO | ADRIAN DENNIS |

In swimming at the Optus Aquatic Centre, Kenya’s Maria Brunlehner and Emily Muteti finished sixth and eight, respectively, in Heat Six of the 50 metres freestyle with Maria making the semi-final in which she finished eighth in 26.63 seconds.

DROPPED TO THE SINGLES PLATE

After losing the opening round matches in squash, Kenya’s Khaaliqa Nimji dropped to the women’s singles Plate round of 16 where she defeated Fiji’s Alison Mua 3-0 (11-7, 11-2, 11-5) at the Oxenford Studios in a 16-minute match watched by Kenya’s High Commissioner to Australia Isaiah Kabira.

Kenya's High Commissioner to Australia Isaiah Kabira with Kenyan squash players Khaaliqa Nimji (centre) and Hardeep Reel (right) after the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Plate action at the Oxenford Studios on April 6, 2018. PHOTO | ELIAS MAKORI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

In the men’s Plate, Kenya’s Hardeep Reel forfeited his match against Cayman Island’s Kelly Jacob.

Perhaps the day’s highlight was Okong’o’s clash with Tanzanian Selemani Kidunda which was even more heated as a Kenyan coach, Benjamin Musa, sat in the Tanzanian corner.

'ON THE BACKFOOT'

Okong’o was on the back-foot in the second round and survived a third round knockdown to win it 3-2, attributing the victory to tactical discipline and change of approach injected by his coach Patrick Maina who warned him against fighting too close to the Tanzanian.

Kenya's Edwin Okong'o (left) fields media questions after defeating Tanzania's Selemani Kidunda in their middleweight round of 32 match at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on April 6, 2018. PHOTO | ELIAS MAKORI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

“I’m happy, although the final moments of the fight didn’t impress me,” Okong’o, making his Commonwealth Games debut, said after the 'round of 32' victory.

“But at least I know what to do next time.”

Coach Maina said his boxers benefitted a great deal from their exposure at the India Open Boxing Tournament in Delhi in February.

“Kidunda is experienced, has been to the Olympics but I’d studied him well,” Maina explained.

“In the second round he almost caught us off-guard but in the third round Okong’o made amends.
“The early training helped us a great deal, right from when we started training at the Police Depot and then in Nakuru and with the India tournament in between. If we didn’t go to India, we wouldn’t have identified our weaknesses.”

Earlier, Bakari outpointed Namibia’s Matias Hamunyela 3-2 in a win Maina attributed to good groundwork.

“We knew the Namibian was more experienced and I had studied his videos and so we knew how to counter,” the experienced tactician reacted.

The Kenyan corner hopes to maintain the momentum today when bantamweight Benson Gicharu enters the ring to face England’s Peter McGrail in the round of 16 from 7.02pm (12.02am Saturday Kenyan time).

“You know Gicharu always doesn’t want to be left behind and I’m confident he will deliver,” said Maina.

Elsewhere in bowling, Mbugua remained upbeat on Friday after winning her third round match of the women’s singles’ section ‘C’ against Nelly Senna of Botswana 21-10.

Although she lost the fourth round match 21-10 to Canada’s Kelly McKerihen, she is still in it with a chance for the quarters depending on her final match against Nooroa Mataio of Cook Island from 9am local time (2am Kenyan time) on Saturday.

It will then be down to the points tally from the other matches.

“If I win tomorrow (Saturday) then my chances for the quarters will be high,” said Mbugua at the Broadbeach Bowls Club.

“My target is to get a medal here. Despite the challenges the sport faces back home, there is a bright future for the game.”

Interestingly, Mbugua, 31, from Kiambu County, started off as a lawn tennis player before being bitten by the bowling bug at the Limuru Country Club in 2012.

She currently plays at Nairobi Club.

“Whenever I used to pass by the Limuru bowling green, I would get the urge to try out bowling and that’s how I got into the game with one of the top players then, John Gichango, offering to coach me,” she told Nation Sport.

“There is huge potential in bowling in Kenya, but the only problem is that we don’t have a public green and to play, one has to gain membership of a private members’ club,” she explained.

She is one of two Kenyan players in the lawn bowls competition here with Cephas Kimwaki featuring in the men’s singles.

Results:

Lawn Bowls:

Thursday: Women’s singles, Section ‘C’, Round 1: Eunice Mbugua (Kenya) beat Catherine Wimp (Papua New Guinea) 21-15; Round 2: Carmen Anderson (Norfolk Island) beat Eunice Mbugua 21-7; Friday: Round 3: Eunice Mbugua beat Nelly Senna (Botswana) 21-10; Round 4: Kelly McKerihen (Canada) beat Eunice Mbugua 21-10

Boxing:

Thursday: 60kg (lightweight), round of 32: Nick Okoth (Kenya) loses to Michael Alexander (Trinidad and Tobago) on medical grounds after clash of heads and subsequent cut rules Okoth out; Friday: 91kg (heavyweight) round of 16: Elly Ocholla (Kenya) lost to Scott Forrest (Scotland) 5-0; Men’s 46-49kg, round of 16: Matias Hamunyela (Namibia) lost to Kenya’s Shaffi Hassan (2-3); Men’s 75kg, round of 32: Selemani Kidunda (Tanzania) lost to Kenya’s Edwin Owuor Okong’o 2-3

Swimming:

50m freestyle, Heat 6: Maria Brunlehner (sixth, 26.70), Emily Muteti (eighth, 27.14); semi-final: Maria (eighth, 26.63)

Squash:

Women’s singles Plate round of 16: Khaaliqa Nimji (Kenya) defeated Fiji’s Alison Mua 3-0 (11-7, 11-2, 11-5); Men’s singles Plate round of 16: Kelly Jacob (Cayman Island) awarded walkover against Kenya’s Hardeep Reel

Weightlifting:

Winny Langat (14th out of 15) in the women’s 58-kilogramme category with a 135kg lift (60kg snatch, 75kg clean-and-jerk).