•Malkia beat Seychelles in the opener and will be favourites against the Nigerians.
•Kenya have already qualified for the Olympic Games scheduled for August in Paris and Tonui expects Chepchumba to recover in time for the Games.
Image: FILE
All eyes are on Malkia Strikers as they face Nigeria on Saturday in their second match of the 13th edition of the African Games here in Accra, Ghana.
Malkia beat Seychelles in the opener and will be favourites against the Nigerians.
The Kenyans feel the hard part of the tournament is yet to come but have vowed not to underrate anyone. Team manager, Kenneth Tonui, is confident despite some hiccups.
“Our pool is fairly easy and we will no doubt prevail over the remaining teams; Algeria, Nigeria and DR Congo,” he said.
Only Algeria could pose a major threat.
“We are not underrating any team. It is one step at a time,” he added.
While the absence of Sharon Chepchumba is a big blow, they are happy Veronica Adhiambo, who plies her trade in Greece, has fitted into the big shoes.
“Adhiambo can play on both the left and right sides. We would be untouchable if we had the two,” he added.
Their biggest challenge has been the training venue, which they share with the tennis players.
“The organisers haven’t been at their best. It seems like the federations were not involved. We have done all we can to ensure everything is on course,” he added.
Malkia Strikers’ spirit is on another level and will dominate the event.
“The challenge will come in the semifinals. The other pool has Egypt and Algeria, who happen to be a threat,” he quipped.
He doesn’t foresee any challenge from the Nigerians. “We had an opportunity to watch them (Nigeria) against DR Congo and we picked one or two things. I guess we are ready for them,” he quipped.
Kenya have already qualified for the Olympic Games scheduled for August in Paris and Tonui expects Chepchumba to recover in time for the Games.
“She had a knee operation and is recovering steadily. She has started light training. We expect her to be back by April,” said Tonui.
Triza Atuka reckons African teams have improved and they cannot afford to be overconfident.
“Nigeria and Algeria have improved and we cannot afford to underrate them,” she said. “Then there is Egypt and Tunisia in the other pool. We expect them to give us a run for our money.”
Their agenda is not only to defend the title but also to sharpen up ahead of the Olympic Games.
Agrippina Kundu promised to rise to the occasion in hot conditions. Like Atuka, she is for one step at a time now that there are no longer small teams.