Malkia Strikers’ coach Japheth Munala said lack of endurance and captain Mercy Moim's absence could explain why they failed to retain their African Games title in Accra, Ghana.
Malkia Strikers fell 3-2 in the semis to eventual winners Egypt. They finished third after beating hosts Ghana 3-0 while Egypt destroyed Tunisia 3-0.
Munala said they were not fighting for a bronze medal but that is the nurture of sports.
“We were here for our title defence but things did not go our way,” he said.
Unlike the semis, Munala said they reacted in the third-place playoff and will seek to build on that display. “We were just off in the semis. We will go back and review our performance before the Olympic Games,” he said.
He said it is important that they continue with training to make an impact at the Olympic Games in Paris in August. The team trained for five days before Ghana.
“We need a longer training period to put the players in shape ahead of the Olympic Games,” he added.
“To play at the Olympics, we must be psychologically prepared. We must continue with our training upon return home,” noted. Munala believes Moim’s presence would have made a difference but considering the situation there was little they could do.
Captain Moim was forced to return home abruptly after she suffered a double tragedy that saw her lose both her husband and her mother-in-law.
In the semis against Egypt, the tactician said fatigue took a toll on the players after the opening two sets and the Egyptians capitalised on that.
“The likes of Egypt are not the calibre of teams you sit back irrespective of whether you are leading or not,” he noted.
Their biggest undoing at the semis was reception.
“The girls could not cope with the kind of power exerted by the Egyptians in the semis but we will live to fight another day,” he noted.
“Moim is always strong in her position and we missed her. She also knows how to rally the team, especially when they are under pressure and this was missing.”
“While the dismal show is behind us, we will have to relook at the team once again ahead of the Olympic Games,” he noted.
Team manager, Kenneth Tonui, said: “We only had five days in training and this was not enough. We would also like to see the team play build-up matches,” he added.
