KURUME, Japan, Jul 14 – The first batch of the national women’s sevens team, the Kenya Lionesses, had their opening training session in Kurume City, Japan on Wednesday evening to shake off some bit of jet lag after a long tiring journey of almost 48 hours from Nairobi.
The Lionesses is the third Team Sports to arrive in the Japanese city after their men counterparts as well as the women’s volleyball team.
Head coach Felix Oloo says he was pleased that at least half of the team was in Kurume as they awaited the arrival of the second batch. Teams are travelling in a staggered manner to Kurume due to restrictions put in place to curb COVID-19 infections.
“The girls are responding quite well. We had a very light session because the body needs to start responding slowly after such a long travel. I am quite impressed with the girls that they are getting into the mood quite well even as we wait for the second group of players to arrive,” Oloo stated.
Skipper Philadelphia Olando and experienced player Sinaida Aura are some of the key players in the squad who were part of the first contingent to arrive and they are already enjoying their stay at Kurume City.
“We have had a good opening session even as we try to acclimatize with the weather here. It is hot and humid but I believe the next 10 days will be key for us to try and get used to everything here. We will definitely have to adapt with the weather because we are here to compete,” said skipper Olando.
Kenya Lionesses skipper Philadelphia Olando in Kurume CIty. PHOTO/Alusa
Her sentiments are shared by Aura who says; “One of the biggest attributes a sportsperson needs to have is adaptability and for us we have to adapt to the conditions here and be ready to compete.”
The Kenya Lionesses are placed in a tough Pool A that has New Zealand, Russia and Great Britain.
The team believes despite being in a tough pool, they have what it takes to do well and shock some of the big nations in women’s rugby.
“It is a very tough pool and will not be a walk in the park. But, we are also going there to compete and I believe we will shock the world. We are a team which believes in itself, we believe in each other as players and we will go and do our best,” skipper Olando stated.
Kenya begins its competition against New Zealand. The top two teams in each of the three groups will proceed to the Main Cup quarter final while the best two third placed teams will also earn a ticket to the best eight.
Coach Oloo is optimistic that the team can fight to be within this bracket.
“We are playing against some of the best teams in the world and we also want to go in there and show that we can compete. It is also good as a team to measure up against these top teams so that we know where we are as a country,” said the tactician.
The Lionesses are bullish ahead of the duel and they believe the next 10 days in camp will be crucial in their drive to do better than they did in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The Kenya Lionesses players in Kurume City. PHOTO/Alusa
“It is not an easy tournament but we are not afraid to take on the challenge. We are indeed looking forward to it. We want to go in and compete and we know we are representing the whole nation when there,” Aura stated.
The team has blended in a good fair share of youth an experience, an asset they believe will be key for them to perform well in Tokyo.
“We have the speed and strength of the young players as well as the calm head of the experienced girls. This is a very good balance that will help us tackle each match well,” skipper Aura stated.
Meanwhile, the team is already soaking in the Japanese culture in Kurume and the best thing is that they have had some local Kenyan food on the menu to ensure they still feel at home.
“The Japanese have a really rich culture and it has been amazing to learn from them. I am also pleased that we have some local food like ugali, chapati and tea. It is really amazing that they took the chef to the embassy to learn how to make ugali,” an excited Aura stated.
As they enjoy the breath of Kurume air and the belly-filling Kenyan food in a foreign land, the Kenyan ladies will step up their training on the second day on Thursday with the rest of the group expected to join in by evening.
