National sports talent camp begins in Nairobi
Gituamba Girls Secondary School's Matilda Shisia (with ball) in action during the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) National Sports Elite Training camp on December 17, 2024 at Lavington Girls' Secondary School.
What you need to know:
- The athletes are stationed at Lavington Secondary School and Hospital Hill High School in Nairobi for the one-week camp, which concludes on Saturday.
The National Sports Talent Elite Camp, under the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS), commenced in Nairobi on Tuesday, drawing 430 athletes from across the country. The participants, evenly split between 215 boys and 215 girls, are honing their skills in five core disciplines: football, rugby, volleyball, basketball, and hockey for three-weeks.
The athletes were selected following a rigorous two-week national training camp held in Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Nairobi. In addition to the main sports, they also engaged in lawn tennis, table tennis, swimming, chess, and badminton.
Coach Betty Anyango Ochieng, assistant to former international Fred Serenge, and leading the under-19 girls' football team.
She highlighted the enthusiasm of her players, saying, "It's like coaching individuals since they come from different parts of the country. We started with the basics to understand each player."
Ochieng, a former Harambee Starlets fullback, expressed optimism about the team’s development, particularly as it includes experienced players from the Under-17 Women's World Cup.
"With experienced players from the Under-17 Women's World Cup, they're blending well. Our goal is to help them improve, not to pressure them," she added.
Vide Okeyo controls the ball during the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) National Sports Elite Training camp on December 17, 2024 at Lavington Girls' Secondary School.
Among the notable participants in the camp are midfielders Halima Imbachi, Clotilda Auma, and Lorna Faith, forward Valencia Achieng', winger Marion Serenge, and goalkeeper Scovis Awuor—all of whom competed in the 2024 Under-17 Women's World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
Faith was named Woman of the Match in the 2-1 victory against Mexico, where she scored the decisive second goal. Additionally, Serenge was recognised as the fourth-fastest player in the tournament, clocking a speed of 30.42 km/h.
Meanwhile, the rugby girls’ team, coached by Sarah Otieno, is also making significant strides. Otieno, an educator and the first female rugby referee in Kenya, emphasized the importance of such programs in nurturing future talent.
"The girl’s rugby team consists of 36 girls, and we are still trying to polish them up after the two weeks of training in Kisumu. We are trying to see how well they can execute what they did in camp as we try to make sure that everyone is at par," said Otieno.
She currently serves as the head coach of the Cub Lionesses, who are preparing for the Commonwealth Youth Games.
The athletes are stationed at Lavington Secondary School and Hospital Hill High School in Nairobi for the one-week camp, which concludes on Saturday.
