Kenya national women roll ball team defeated hosts India 2-1 to be crowned the 2019 Roll Ball World Cup champions at the ICF Indoor Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu State.
On the other hand, the men's outfit settled for second place following their 9-3 thwarting by India in the finals of the fifth edition of the WC.
The women's side reclaimed the title they first won in 2015 in Pune India. Team coach Martin Abunde commended his charges for maintaining the excellent unbeaten run in the championships and noted that their hard work over the years has yielded good results.
"The girls have been yearning to reclaim this trophy and they did it in style. They deserved the win. We now shift focus to talent development as we resume the national league," intimated Abunde who is also the coach of former handball champions Black Mamba.
Angela Kanyi and Lucy Achieng were on target for Kenya. Custodian Emily Amimo conceded just a goal in the whole showpiece.
This was sweet revenge for Kenya, who in 2017 in Pune, were eliminated with a 10-4 beating in the semis by India, denying the East African's a chance to defend their title.
The men's side, tutored by Caleb Akhumbi were for the first time beaten in the competition despite Albert Omwere's double and George Mbutu's striker.
This was the men's first time to reach the finals of the World Cup and did it without losing a match. Akhumbi said their performance is laudable and they have picked lessons from the event.
“We had a good run which was stopped by the hosts but we are happy we reached the finals. We have learned new tactics and a few other thing here and there that we need to work on for posterity,” noted the trainer.
The world-beaters, under Samuel Litaba is scheduled to arrive in Nairobi at 3 pm today.
