Spearheading Kenya's medal hunt at the World Women's Boxing Championships in Istanbul, Turkey is the Africa Zone 3 light heavyweight gold medalist Elizabeth Andiego who has been handed the captain's role.
Andiego headlines the list of 10 Kenyan female pugilists comprising the traveling party.
Kenya will also peg hopes on the seasoned duo of Christine Ongare and Elizabeth Akinyi who comprised the 2020 Tokyo Olympics quartet.
Ongare will look to shake off the setback she suffered at the Africa Zone 3 Championship in Kinshasa Congo, where she was forced to settle for silver after a contentious decision by the judges denied her victory.
The skillful and hard-battling diminutive boxer who traces her roots in the sprawling Kariobangi slums in Nairobi holds on to the conviction that the wealth of experience she gleaned from the 2020 Tokyo Games will power her to the winner's podium in Istanbul.
“Personally, I'm determined to give the World Women's Boxing Championships my best shot because I believe it will impact a lot on my performance in the subsequent international assignments including the Commonwealth Games.”
The 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist says she feels more comfortable battling in the minimum weight category which has taken away all the adversities she encountered in the light flyweight division.
She says the switch is bound to boost her fortunes in the sport even as she eyes a vintage performance at the forthcoming AIBA World Women's Boxing Championship primed for May in Istanbul, Turkey.
“To say the truth, I experienced a lot of challenges while battling in the flyweight division. It was hard squaring off with some boxers who switched from bantamweight given they were comparatively more muscular and a little bit stronger than me,” she said.
“I'm happy I'll be facing my equals from now on after switching to the minimum weight division,” she added.
She says the switch is bound to boost her fortunes in the sport even as she eyes a vintage performance at the forthcoming AIBA World Women's Boxing Championship primed for May in Istanbul, Turkey.
“To say the truth, I experienced a lot of challenges while battling in the flyweight division. It was hard squaring off with some boxers who switched from bantamweight given they were comparatively more muscular and a little bit stronger than me,” she said.
Full squad:
Christine Ongare (45-48kg), Ann Wanjiru (50-52kg), Amina Martha (52-54kg), Beatrice Okoth (54-57kg), Stacy Ayoma (57-60kg), Teresia Wanjiru ( 60-63kg), Everlyne Akinyi (63-66kg), Lorna Kusa (66-70kg), Elizabeth Akinyi (70-75kg), Elizabeth Andiego (75-81kg).
Editing by Tony Mballa
