Kenyan juniors step up Africa Youth games preparations

Boxing coach John Ochieng in a past tournament. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

After months of grinding, Kenyan juniors to this year's Africa Youth Games have intensified training ahead of the continental challenge that begins on Wednesday in Angola.

Having begun their training individually in August, the athletes who will fly the Kenyan flag are now in residential camps spread across Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret.

Kenya will hunt gold in 17 disciplines among them athletics, volleyball, swimming and combat sports.

The fourth edition of the African youth games will be held in three Angolan cities namely Luanda, Benguela and Bengo which will host Kenya's most successful sport athletics.

Boxing coach John Ochieng said that they are fine-tuning their preparations in readiness for the contest.

So far training has been good and we are working very hard and the boys are responding well," Ochieng said.

Upcoming boxer Clinton Omondi exuded confidence saying that they will settle for nothing less than gold.

"We have trained well and I don't just hope but also believe that when we go to Angola we will return with gold," he said.

Fencer Alia Wanjiru, on the other hand, underscored that the camp is not just about training for the upcoming competition but also for her own growth and development.

"The training has been really good, I'm expecting to learn a lot and to see what I can do better for the team and to also better myself and what I can push for not just now but for the future too," she said.

Judokas under the tutelage of coach Alice Chebet are also optimistic that they will excel against their peers and harvest medals.

A delighted Rael Kulova outlined the measures that have been put in place to ensure that they train well and are ready for the challenge.

"Since we arrived in camp we have undergone various training drills and we are also on a good diet. We have very high expectations and are determined to register good results," Kulova said.

With the team set to depart for Angola at the weekend, the coaches are now focused on coordination, conditioning and final tactical adjustments.

Kenya will field 83 athletes at the games.