• At just 16 years old, she has been included in Team Kenya for the Commonwealth Youth Games set to kick off next month in Trinidad and Tobago.
• Her coach Sarah Otieno showered her with praise saying she is one of the generational talents she has in the squad that has a brighter future.
Image: FILE
Cub Lionesses' assistant captain Linda Kagwiria has her eyes trained on making Team Kenya to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.
Kagwiria, who will be 21 by then, believes she has plenty of time to horn her skills and be ready to help Lioness qualify for the quadrennial global extravaganza.
At just 16 years old, she has been included in Team Kenya for the Commonwealth Youth Games set to kick off next month in Trinidad and Tobago.
"My personal target is to play in the 2028 Olympics. I believe the Olympics is the highest level of rugby a young girl like me can aspire to reach. I believe in my capabilities and I know I will play for Lioness," offered Kagwiria who was over the moon after being named the deputy captain.
She said the upcoming Commonwealth Games will be her sole opportunity to showcase her talent. "I feel honoured being named in the squad. This is proof that I have something that my coach wants in her team. I will use this outing to prove I am capable of playing at the highest level despite my age."
"This team has played a part in my career growth and I believe this outing is the first of many to come. We have a great team that will perform exemplary," she added.
Kenya have been pitted against Canada, Australia, and Fiji and the event will run on a round-robin format. The first match will be against Fiji on August 6.
Inspired by New Zealand's finest Portia Woodman, Kagwiria maintained she always tries to emulate her in training and in the field.
"I like watching Woodman play. She does it with passion and gives her all in the field. In my training, I always try to replicate her actions by giving my best. I aspire to be like her," said the Form 3 student at St. Joseph's Girls, Kitale. She added that after the 2028 Olympics, she will turn to professional rugby.
Woodman was a member of the New Zealand Sevens side, the Black Ferns which won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Her coach Sarah Otieno showered her with praise, saying she is one of the generational talents in the squad and has a brighter future.
"She just turned 16 but she plays like a professional. Even when giving orders to her mates, she does it as if she is the eldest yet she is our last born. These are the talents that need to be developed and supported. The future is very bright for her. I can see her in the national team very soon," commented Otieno.
Kagwiria revealed that her rugby journey started when she saw kids in a Children's Home playing the game.
"I saw some girls in a Children's Home playing rugby and I was so moved. I asked myself if they can, why not me yet am physically fitter than them. Afterward, I joined the school team and here I am ready to fly the Kenyan flag," she added.
After her retirement from professional rugby, she has plans of establishing a girls' rugby academy that will nurture talents.