• Mutua’s stay with top coaches in Denmark will boost his confidence and skills, which is a plus for the team.
• Mutua is among eight sportsmen and women who benefited from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya Olympic Solidarity scholarships.
Image: Oliver Morgan
Top seed Brian Mutua will be aiming for the medals bracket in the 19 to 31 August 2019 Rabat, Morocco All African games, after missing out in his last two tournaments.
Mutua who is part of the Kenya national table tennis team which is set to fly the Kenyan flag at the (AAG), is in Denmark for a two month Olympic Solidarity scholarships, where he is honing his skills with international coaches and players from other parts of the world.
“We will have a pre-tournament in Denmark amongst ourselves and this will help me gauge myself ahead of the continental showpiece,” adds Mutua.
Mutua 21, represented Kenya in the 2017 African Eastern region tournament in Mauritius, the African cup in Nairobi, and the Common Wealth games both in 2018 but finished outside the medal brackets due to high competition and experience.
The Bachelor of physical sciences student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture (JKUAT) got a wild card during this year’s national trials and believes the tournaments have made him better and ready for Africa, after working on his attack and reception which has let him down before.
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He trained with the City table tennis team at Nairobi’s city stadium under veteran coach Stanley Moyi, ahead of next month’s national camp.
“I have played with giants from Nigeria, Egypt and Congo and I’ll be ready for them this time round,” says the prodigy.
Mutua is among eight sportsmen and women who benefited from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya Olympic Solidarity scholarships, aimed at ensuring they qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Others are athlete Emmanuel Korir, Gulraaj Sehmi (shooting), Mercy Joseph (badminton), Danilo Rosafio (swimming), Carlos Atieno (Judo), Webster Lukose (weightlifting) and Mathayo Mahabila (wrestling).
The Table tennis (AAG) team manager Mariga Mwangi says Brian has shown flashes of brilliance in his previous assignments and tips him to at least reach the medal bracket in Morocco. Mutua’s stay with top coaches in Denmark will boost his confidence and skills, which is a plus for the team. Said Mariga.
Mwangi confirmed the Kenya table tennis Association (KTTA) will ensure the team hits camp next month, ready for the games as they seek good results from both the men and women’s teams that have several new faces.
From Denmark, Mutua will team up with Josiah Wandera, Ken Kojal Zaki Pema, under coach Fahd Daim next month. The lady’s team has Doreen Juma,Nelly Mutuma, and Pamela Glory.