Kenya's quest for medals at the IBA World Women's Boxing Championships has ended in a major heartbreak.
Africa Boxing Championships light heavyweight silver medallist Elizabeth Andiego was the last Kenyan to bow out of the competition on Wednesday.
The Hit Squad captain was stopped by Asian light heavyweight champion Fariza Shotley of Kazakhstan in the unanimous points decision.
Andiego's exit effectively brought the country's medal hunt to naught with all the 11 Kenyan boxers who featured in the tournament returning home empty-handed.
Andiego was the only Kenyan pugilist who reached the last eight after getting a bye in the pre-quarterfinals match.
Despite the setback, Andiego was emphatic that she unleashed her most potent ammunition on the battlefield, only that her opponent was more physically endowed.
“The fight was tough but I gave it my best shot and my opponent came out the winner. This was the toughest competitor I've faced thus far and I had to fight harder up to the final round," Andiego said.
“I had a tough time with my opponent because besides being a southpaw, she was also tall and took maximum advantage of her height. I've fought a southpaw before but she was not as tall," she added.
She, however, echoed earlier concerns raised by the rest of the Hit Squad camp who called the referees for dubious officiating.
“But I can say even if I lost, the judges weren't that fair in terms of scores because my opponent didn't dominate the fight so much as their final verdict made people believe," Andiego said.
“It seems they were not keen on my punches because I feel it was unfair to have given my opponent a score of 10 against the eight that I got," she added.
In an earlier interview, Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa said another dubious officiating howler had unjustifiably eliminated a second Kenyan boxer from the tournament.
“The same Japanese referee who goofed during Friza Achieng's game was at it again," Musa stated.
“Look at the video and see if she deserved a count leave alone stoppage of the fight. No clean punch landed to warrant any count. I don’t understand if it’s incompetence at this level or not," he added.
Musa lashed out at the organizers for barring him from the ringside for the remainder of the tournament.
“To add salt to injury, I have been denied entry into the field of play for the remaining bout/bouts for protesting again under no rule. It’s not just demoralizing but devastating to the boxer who had prepared for a long to perform better at this stage."
Andiego said she had gleaned some crucial lessons from her short sojourn in the premier women's global showpiece.
“It was a learning experience. I believe as I walk into the next tournaments, I can do a lot more. So I urge our supporters not to lose hope because our performance will get better in the coming months."
