'Injury or not, I am going for nothing short of gold.' This was the parting shot from Kenya's Lorna Abiero ahead of next weekend's Mombasa International Tong-Il Moo-do Open Championship.
Abiero has been grappling with a minor hand fracture but believes the injury is nothing more than a mosquito sting to her as she aims to increase her medal collection.
She incurred the injury during the trials to select the national team in Nairobi and has been in a race to be fit for the annual games.
"For me, it is nothing short of gold. Last year, I went home with three gold medals and I want to go one better this time. Competing on home soil will be an added advantage not only for myself but Team Jasiri," Abiero said.
She added: "The fact that fans will be allowed into the venue will work for us in terms of home support. The government has also accorded us a lot of support and we are really grateful for that."
The tournament, to be staged at Aga Khan Khan Multipurpose Hall has attracted 25 countries, including the United States, the Philippines, Korea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Japan, Brazil, Congo Brazzaville, South Korea, Zambia, and Thailand, among others.
Heated competition is expected between the hosts and the Philippines with who they have been pitted against in past competitions.
However, Abiero says she is not worried about the threat posed by the South East Asians considering she has excelled against them in the past.
"I am not worried. Remember, I beat them on their own turf in 2019 during the World Championships in Korea. I won against opponents from Thailand, Korea, and the Philippines on my way to winning a medal. So now that I will be facing them on home soil, it will be business as usual," she said.
Abiero added: "Getting to the top is quite easy but remaining there is a major challenge. That is why I am always training because you can be sure that the opponents are also working hard to dislodge you from the throne."
Abiero, who works as a personal trainer at Smart Gyms in Lavington, is hopeful next year will be a busy calendar after a relatively quiet period due to the coronavirus pandemic.
