Okong'o inspires Kenya to emphatic win

KDF's Edwin Okong'o (right) and Silas Masake from the Police ABC in a past bout. [File]

Africa Boxing Championships middleweight champion Edwin Okong’o led Kenya to win four boxing medals in the ongoing Africa Military Games in Abuja, Nigeria.

The four gold medals were won by Okong’o, flyweight Kevin Maina, bantamweight Dennis Muthama and welterweight Friza Anyango.

Okong’o floored Dawilu Asum of Libya, Maina defeated Mohammed Yacine of Algeria, Muthama overwhelmed Japyem James of Uganda with Anyango dismissing Esther Joseph of Nigeria, all bouts won on points.

In his earlier prediction that indicated they would come back home with five gold medals, Okong’o narrowly missed it when they only won four with a silver medal.

“It’s tough but we will come back home with five gold medals at the end of the showpiece,” Okong’o had said before the showpiece.

Light flyweight Veronica Mbithe is the one who won a silver medal after losing to the 2015 African Games and 2016 Africa Olympic qualifiers silver medallist Caroline Linus of Nigeria.

Kenya are ahead of their East African counterparts, Uganda and Tanzanian in the showpiece, a development that arose after their third placing in the Africa Boxing Championships in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.