Hit Squad assistant captain Elizabeth Andiego has vowed to fight tooth and nail for an Olympic slot during the second World Olympic qualifiers which will be held in Thailand next month.
Andiego made the remarks after storming to the women's middleweight title at the inaugural edition of the Mandela Africa Cup in South Africa on Sunday where she made light work of Rady Gramane of Mozambique whom she thrashed 4-1.
The 2022 Africa Boxing Championships silver medallist lit up the Durban International Convention Centre, turning her opponent's face into a punching bag right from the start of their five-round bout, with the judges scoring 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 and 27-30.
"I'm happy I've won a gold medal for Kenya. The win means a lot to me considering that I'm preparing for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers in Thailand. My confidence has received a major boost," Andiego said in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
"I believe the country still stands a high chance of securing Olympic slots after two failed attempts in Dakar and Italy."
The 37-year-old mother of one booked a date with Gramane after receiving a bye in the semi-finals after her opponent failed to honour the competition.
The win — Andiego’s first this year — earned her a handsome prize purse of 5000USD (Sh670,300) which was set aside for all gold medalists across the 25 weight categories.
Andiego flew the nation's flag alongside national welterweight champion Friza Anyango who crashed out to Gomes Moreira Ivanusa of Cape Verde in the quarterfinals on the opening day of the competition.
The Kenyan duo comprised the competitive roster of 157 boxers from 24 countries who flexed muscles with their sights firmly trained on the whopping Sh65 million prize purse pumped into the tournament by the International Boxing Federation (IBA).
