Retired Former Kenyan welterweight champion Nick Abaka has given a thumbs up to the national boxing team ‘Hit Squad’ preparations ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in July.
Abaka, who has had the opportunity to train with the team in residential training, said the level of preparedness of the current squad is the best he has ever encountered.
“It’s amazing how prepared this team is. They have been in training since August last year and that shows the determination they all have to succeed at the Olympics. Training hard and smart brings you close to your feat and when God decides to reward you, he will find you ready,” said the former KDF boxer who is now a coach with the same team.
“The team is in very good hands under coach Benjamin Musa and David Munuhe and there is no limit to what they can achieve,” the 39-year-old added.
Two more fighters welterweight Elizabeth Akinyi and heavyweight Elly Ajowi got a ticket to compete at the Olympic Games after the African qualifiers were scrapped due to the ongoing health crisis around the world. The Boxing Task Force confirmed to Olympics Kenya that the two boxers were given a quota place to the games through the BTF rankings.
Abaka said this would not have been possible had they not competed at the African Championships in Dakar, Senegal last year. Nick Okoth and Christine Ongare clinched their direct tickets in Dakar in February 2020.
“The two more slots to our bronze medal winners at the African Championship goes to emphasize why all our sportsmen and women should take the continental competitions more seriously as you never know what might happen. Taking part in as many tournaments as possible improves your ranking and that is what Ajowi and Akinyi have benefitted from,” he said.
Abaka, who sadly missed out on 208 Beijing Olympics despite qualifying, after he sustained a jaw injury, was crossing his fingers that despite the misgivings of the Japanese public, the Tokyo Olympics which had been postponed by a year, will go on as scheduled.
“Olympics are the pinnacle of any sportsman and woman’s career and missing out is the worst feeling you can have. So we are all hoping that the Games will go on and our team will perform well,” he concluded. After Athletics, boxing is the other sports in the country that has featured in more Olympics than all others.