National team coach Benjamin Musa has revealed that Kenyan qualifiers to the 2020 Olympic Games, Nick Okoth and Christine Ong’are, are taking it all in their stride following the postponement of the Japanese bonanza.
The duo qualified during the continental trials held in Dakar, Senegal in February and Musa was hoping to get more slots in the final world qualifiers earlier planned for Paris, currently postponed too.
“We were honestly hoping to get more slots in Paris since it was going to be the last chance for any boxer willing to compete in Tokyo. As much as the decision to postpone the Tokyo Games was a painful one, there is little we could do and it was the only fair decision if executed on medical grounds,” said Musa, adding: “It’s only a wait-and-see situation. Once the new dates are announced and the situation improves, then we will plan accordingly.”
The qualifiers in Senegal saw several top boxers like Rayton Okwiri (middleweight), Shaffi Bakari (flyweight) and Elly Ajowi (heavyweight) miss out.
Okoth, who is hoping to grace his second Olympic Games after his Beijing debut in 2008, said he is still keeping fit at a personal level while also social-distancing.
“I am just doing light training on my own to keep fit so that the Games next year do not find me off guard. It is good that we know the new schedule as soon as possible,” Okoth said.
