•Mutua hopes to use upcoming tournaments as part of his build-up in the run-up to the games.
•He said he is also looking forward to next year's All-African Games and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Cup Championship.
Image: NOCK
Kenya's top table tennis player Brian Mutua is keen to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Mutua hopes to use upcoming tournaments as part of his build-up in the run-up to the games.
He said he is also looking forward to next year's All-African Games and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Cup Championship.
“The Olympics is the biggest stage where you can compete. At the moment, I want to work on my training and rectify my mistakes in preparation for the same. I also want to participate at the All African Games and Africa Cup competitions to earn points,” Mutua said.
He said his focus is on a friendly tournament scheduled for November 5 and 6. The event has so far attracted Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. That’s what I am training for at the moment,” he said.
Mutua said his experience at the Commonwealth Games in August was a great one as it served as a learning curve and also got the chance to rub shoulders with some of the best players globally.
This year’s edition was his second one as he also participated at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
“I performed well and I’m happy that I handled the pressure in a good way too. I noted that I needed to be more composed and work on my strongholds. I am also working on my fitness,” he said, adding that his most memorable moment in the sport was when he participated in the Eastern Regional tournament in 2019 and won the singles event.
Speaking on his worst moments in the sport, Mutua said he once lost to Ghana in a friendly match which he believed he could have won easily. “I had a chance to win that game but I let my chances slip and I remember that day vividly,” he said.
He also narrated how balancing his school work and the sport remains to be a challenge for him. He said most of the time he is forced to train at night because of his tight schedule during the day.
Mutua also revealed that initially he had financial challenges but the Olympic Solidarity came to his rescue by granting him a scholarship. “Currently I am under a scholarship and things are going on well.”
As compared to the initial years, Mutua believes the sport has grown immensely but there is room for further development.