Hardened by combat and with three bronze medals already engraved with her name, Elizabeth Akinyi is convinced she is now bold and ripe enough to successfully charge for gold at the Tokyo Olympics in July.
To a casual observer, the pugilist's soft demeanour might portray her as a pushover, but her track record paints a different picture.
Her narrative is as captivating as her infectious smile which occasionally punctuates her engrossing conversation.
But on the other side of this charming lady with a girlish giggle lies a ruthless warrior, one who plummets her opponents mercilessly in the ring.
Akinyi is among sixteen boxers, who have been unleashing furious power on their punching bags after pitching camp at the national team's training base in Lavington, Nairobi mid last year.
A welterweight battler over the years, Akinyi added another decoration to her sparkling collection of medals, when she emerged third at the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championship held in Kinshasa, DRC to scoop her third bronze.
She, however, believes she shot herself in the foot by indulging too much at the dining table prior to the contest.
"We had prepared well before the event and I was looking forward to a better performance, only that my weight let me down. I weighed much more than required and my opponent who was slightly lighter took advantage because she was faster in the ring," said Akinyi.
Despite the pitfalls, the 'Hit Squad' plundered a whopping 13 medals on the final day of the championship in Kinshasa.
The strong contingent of sixteen Hit Squad members returned to the country chins up after the eventful swoop that saw them bag a gold, five silver, and seven bronze medals.
Akinyi, who will comprise the 'Hit Squad' quartet in the Kenyan Tokyo Olympics-bound contingent believes 2021 is her year after several of her previous efforts ended in a bronze haul.
“I bagged my first medal at the African Confederation Boxing Championship (AFBC) in Brazzaville, Congo Republic in 2016 after losing to Clotide Essiene of Cameroon 4-1 on points in the semi-finals.
“Then in 2020, I doubled up my fortunes at the African Olympic qualifiers in Senegal, where I again emerged from the ring with a bronze, effectively locking me out of the Olympics,” she said.
However, lady luck smiled on her when the world repechage qualifiers in France were called off and the Tokyo Olympics boxing task force handed her and Elly Ajowi automatic slots after seeding them ahead of their competitors in their respective categories.
The task force said they were pressed for time to host the event, adding they would now apportion Olympic slots based on rankings from previous tournaments.
Shelving the event may have constrained the Kenyan space for a larger contingent in the games, but the two boxers feel elated with the rare chance they have bumped into to showcase their mantle at Tokyo.
Kenya will now be represented by four pugilists at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics set for July after the International Olympics Committee boxing task force handed Elly Ajowi and Elizabeth Akinyi automatic berths based on ranking.
Ajowi and Akinyi now join Nick Okoth (featherweight) and Christine Ongare (featherweight) in the Kenyan Japan-bound contingent.
Raised amidst the heightened activities of Kenya's capital city, Akinyi experienced first-hand the challenges of life in the fast lane.
She briefly attended Mid-fountain Primary School in Nairobi before getting a transfer to Boro Primary School in Alego, Siaya County.
“I returned to the city after completing her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and secured admission at St. Joseph's Secondary School in Ngomongo, where I stayed for a couple of years before moving over to St. Mary's in the neighbouring Lucky Summer estate.”
So determined was she that barely in her teenage years, she sprang into action and began cutting teeth as a budding boxer at St. John's Sports Society on the periphery of Nairobi's sprawling Korogocho slums.
"I was 14 years old when I started training at St. John's under the late boxing coach James Odongo,” she said.
Interestingly, she rose through the ranks to secure promotion as a national team player without breaking sweat in any league encounters.
“I never participated in any league encounters but got involved in a wide array of locally organised tournaments.
“I remember when Obama visited Kenya, Kentrack organised a tournament which I participated in. I instantly caught the attention of the promoter, Kennedy Otieno, who asked to know more about me.
“Otieno invited me to join his stable and I accepted the offer. From there on, I became involved in a competition dubbed 'Road to Rio Olympics'.
“That's how the national team coaches got to see me in action and it wasn't long before I earned my maiden call-up,” says Akinyi.
Akinyi is, however, worried about the slow pace of activities in the country, a fact she contends has robbed local pugilists of the much needed exposure that could have propelled them to greater heights.
"Our opponents participate in comparatively more tournaments throughout the year. Other than the just concluded Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championship in Kinshasa, when did we compete last?" she poses.
"As we speak, there is still a challenge given the government is yet to okay the return to training ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. This too, might impact negatively on our form in Tokyo," she laments.
BIO
Name: Elizabeth Akinyi
Education: Mid-fountain Primary School (Nairobi), Boro Primary School (Alego, Siaya), St. Joseph's Secondary School (Naitobi), St. Mary's Secondary School (Nairobi).
Clubs: St. Joseph's Sports Services (Nairobi), Kentrack (Nairobi)
Achievements:
Bronze medal - All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville
Bronze medal - African qualifiers in Dakar Senegal
Bronze medal - Africa Zone 3 championship in Kinshasa DRC.