The national boxing team, Hit Squad, arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday for the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championship.
The plane carrying the team of 22 boxers and officials touched down at the De N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa on Sunday afternoon.
The tournament, which officially began on Sunday, will run until April 11.
Last year's edition was held in the same country and Kenya plundered a whopping 13 medals on the final day of the championship, including a gold, five silver, and seven bronze medals.
The traveling party was whittled down from the initial 26-member provisional squad that punched furiously on the bag for a month after pitching a non-residential training camp at the Mathare Depot in Nairobi.
2020 Africa Zone 3 gold medalist Elly Ajowi and Hit Squad captain Nick Okoth who bagged silver in the edition headline the stellar list flying the country's flag in the event.
Ajowi, 38, capped off his glittering career with a coveted gold after exhibiting exceptional form against Cameroonian Yegnong Maxime whom he schooled and pulverized in equal measure during their fiercely contested bout.
Other than a motley of budding youngsters incorporated into the squad, Team Kenya largely comprises seasoned pugilists.
Conspicuously present are the 2020 Tokyo Games quartet of Ajowi (Super-heavyweight), Okoth (lightweight), 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Christine Ongare (minimum weight), and Elizabeth Akinyi (light-heavyweight).
Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa said moments before departure that Kenyan pugilists will be using the tournament to gauge their mettle ahead of major global shows.
Coach Musa said he was forced to turn to seasoned pugilists in a frantic attempt to beat the deadline set by organisers, but nonetheless also gave budding boxers a chance to prove their mettle.
Indeed, Kenyans yearn for the good old days when the Hit Squad — the country's source of pride then — left opponents dazzled and petrified in equal measure.
We relive the momentous 1987 All African Games in Kenya, where each of the eight Hit Squad members bludgeoned and vanquished their opponents to plunder all the gold medals.
Hats off to David Kamau, Stephen Mwema, Patrick Waweru, John Wanjau, Maurice Maina, Mohammed Orungi, Robert Wangila and Chris Odera.
We fondly reminisce about Wangila's splendid exploits at the 1988 Seoul Olympics where he became the first African to scoop an Olympic gold medal after walloping Frenchman Laurent Bouduani. Christopher Ochieng Sande (middlweight) bagged bronze.
Kenya conquered the Commonwealth Games in 1982, 1990, and 1994. During the 1990 edition, Joseph Akhasamba (light-heavyweight) and George Onyango (heavyweight) won gold and Abdirahman Ramadhani silver.
The country went into an even more ecstatic celebration at the 1994 All Africa Games when Abdirahman Ramadhani and Omar Ahmed (heavyweight) won gold in their respective categories.
David Miriambo Anyim (super heavyweight), Peter Wanyoike (middleweight) and Odhiambo Opiyo (light-heavyweight) won bronze medals.
During the 1982 Commonwealth conquest in Brisbane, Ibrahim Bilali (light-flyweight), Michael Mutua (flyweight) and Hussein Khalili won gold while light-welterweight Charles Owiso got silver and heavyweight Mohammed Abdalla Kent settled for bronze. Bilali also bagged a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.
Undoubtedly, the Kenyan contingent in DRC Congo have a glorious opportunity to relive such momentous occasions. Go Hit Squad, go!
