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Okot highlights Soya's most promising girl award list

Okot will battle it out with athletes Faith Cherotich, Betty Chelang'at and Jackline Chepkoech. Also in the mix is Jane Wangare (boxer) and Rachel Achieng (weightlifter).

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by GORDON OSEN

Sports08 December 2022 - 02:00

In Summary


  • • Okot played an integral role as Kenya Ports Authority KPA team clinched the national title.
  • • The annual event will be held on January 2023 at Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi. 
Kenya's Medina Okot keeps close checks on Benin's Ramouziath Agbayizo in the FIBA 3x3 Nations League match at Nyayo

Budding basketball player Medina Okot underlines a quality field of young girls battling it out for the 2022 Sports Personality of the Year  Most Promising award.

The annual event will be held next month at  Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi and will be sponsored by Communication Authority, Lotto Foundation, Kenya Pipeline, NSSF and Safaricom.

Kakamega hosted the event last year, becoming the third county outside Nairobi to host the prestigious show. Nakuru and Mombasa counties have staged the event previously.

Okot will battle it out with athletes Faith  Cherotich, Betty Chelang'at, and Jackeline Chepkoech. Also in the mix are Jane Wangare (boxer) and Rachel Achieng (weightlifter).

Okot played an integral role for Kenya Ports Authority KPA as they  clinched the national title. She was also among the top 60 African players to attend the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) camp in Cairo Egypt.

The workaholic player was part of Kenya's 3x3 basketball team at the Commonwealth Games and was part of the under-23 side that qualified for the 3x3 World Championship in Romania for the first time.

She was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the African qualifiers as well as the international camp in Egypt.

The lanky Okot was the joint top point hitter in Kenya's resounding 21-8 opening victory against Sri Lanka at the Club Games. Fast-rising boxer Wangare has already caused ripples despite being only 17.

She was Kenya's assistant captain at the World Youth Boxing Championship in Alicante, Spain.

Wangare won both the national novices and intermediate in minimum weight and is touted as  Kenyan Olympian Christine Ongare's successor.

Budding athlete Chelang'at has already inked her name in Kenya's folklore. The 18-year-old won Kenya's first gold at the World U-20 championship in Cali, Colombia in the women's 3,000m. She crossed the finish in a time of  9:01.03 but the speed star clocked 8:52.33 in the national trials.

Her compatriot Cherotich beat a quality field to win the World U-20 3000m steeplechase also in Cali in a time of 9:16.14.

She followed it by placing fourth at the Brussels  Diamond League meeting in 9:09.63 before setting a new personal best time of 9:06.14 in Zurich.

Chepkoech 18, rewrote history books by becoming the youngest athlete to win women's 3,000m  steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games.

She led from the bell in 8:01.01 before cruising to victory, beating Briton Elizabeth Bird and Uganda's Olympic Champion Peruth Chemtai to second and third place at the summer games.

In weightlifting, Achieng is the player to watch. Achieng 17, has been voted as the most improved having been declared the national champion in women's 64kg class.

She was the only female representative at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she was placed 11th  after lifting a total of 155kgs with 70k in snatch and 85kgs in clean and jerk.

 


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