•She comprises the star-studded list of 28 boxers who have been punching furiously on the bag since last Friday after being called up to a nonresidential training camp at the Mathare Depot in Nairobi.
•She represented the nation twice in significant international events, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Birmingham 2022 Games, where she was eliminated during the preliminary round.
Image: FILE
Christine Ongare, a seasoned Hit Squad fighter, has vowed to storm the podium at the upcoming IBA World Women's Boxing Championship, which is scheduled to take place in New Delhi, India, next month.
Ongare said she will rely on her wealth of experience to pull off a vintage performance in the top international show.
The petite boxer who competes for Kenya Police on the local front thinks she has honed her skills sufficiently to realize her goals.
She comprises the star-studded list of 28 boxers who have been punching furiously on the bag since last Friday after being called up to a nonresidential training camp at the Mathare Depot in Nairobi.
"I'm confident that the coaches have performed their roles adequately, so I'm ready for the challenge ahead. Going all the way to the medal podium is very likely for me as long as I have the right plan in place, Ongare said.
She represented the nation twice in significant international events, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Birmingham 2022 Games, where she was eliminated during the preliminary round.
Ongare claimed that the heartbreaks she experienced during the competitions had strengthened her resolve, allowing her to firmly set her sights on the medal that has historically proven elusive at world championships.
"Coming home empty-handed from Birmingham and Tokyo was a nightmare I would like to forget so soon. There is no longer any time to lament the lost chances. I learned some crucial lessons that will help me perform well in India.
Born on November 26, 1993, Ongare overcame a difficult upbringing to reclaim her rightful position in the boxing world.
She engaged in ferocious emotional and psychological combat to reclaim her proper position in the world of competitive boxing.
Among the odds, she surmounted on her way to glory was the agony of becoming a mother at the tender age of 12.
Ongare was raised by a single mother in Nairobi's hardscrabble slums of Kariobangi.
From a naive girl whose initial interest was playing football and dabbling in acrobatics, her resilience and determination have propelled her to the international limelight.
She wrote history as the first Kenyan woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in boxing after bagging the bronze while representing the country at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
She comprised the quartet that flew Team Kenya's flag at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan.
Her most recent itinerary includes holding the fort for Kenya at the 2022 IBA World Boxing Championships in Istanbul Turkey in June.
The pugilist put up a spirited fight to clinch bronze at the 2022 Africa Zone 3 Championship in Kinshasa Congo in March.
She flew the country's flag at the African Boxing Championships in Maputo Mozambique in September.
She has made several other appearances including the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow in Scotland, as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia.
She equally graced the 2019 Africa Games in Morocco and the 2020 African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Dakar Senegal.