Blazers' midfielder Caroline Guchu has revealed that her exclusion from the African Nations Championship in Ghana in January forced her back to the drawing board in a bid to regain her place in the national women's hockey team.
The experienced and dynamic international player was omitted from the squad as the coach Jacquiline Mwangi opted for juniors to run the show and ended up bagging bronze.
Guchu is back in the squad for the Commonwealth Games starting this Friday in Birmingham. Gachu is now the most senior player on the team as she prepares to take a stab at the Club Games. She said she has been forced to train harder to regain her fitness.
"Missing out on ACN was an eye opener for me. I was forced to begin again after being overlooked for the continental assignment. The juniors had trained well, were in better shape and deserved their chance. I had to adjust my schedule, train extra hard in order to make the grade," she reveals.
Gachu added: "The youngsters challenged me and there was a need to prove once again that missing out on Ghana was just a blip. I am keen to guide this crop of players whose work rate continues to silence critics."
The West African trip was the first assignment Guchu missed since making her national team debut in 2011.
Guchu's trophy-laden career includes 10 national league titles since joining Blazers in 2009. She also boasts of six African Club Championship trophies, having won the last one in 2018.
Kenya face a backbreaking challenge against defending champions Newzealand on July 29. Captained by Alice Owiti, Kenya will then square it out with five-time champions Australia the next day. Kenya versus Scotland match is penciled for August 1 and wrap up their Pool B duties with the South Africa clash.
"Newzealand are our biggest threat and we must watch out. Their record is well known. They look at the complete package with the best players and it's always a dream to play against them," she noted.
Guchu is keen to groom young players before exiting the stage. "I have had a glittering career and it's about time I started grooming grassroots talent into the game through the Tunza program."
