Chin up, future is bright: Bitok's rallying call to Malkia after World Championship heartbreak - Capital Sports
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Malkia Strikers coach Paul Bitok

Volleyball

Chin up, future is bright: Bitok’s rallying call to Malkia after World Championship heartbreak

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 2 – Despite agonisingly missing out on a first-ever appearance in the second round of the World Volleyball Championships, Malkia Strikers head coach Paul Bitok has backed his charges to one day dine at the high table with the powerhouses of the sport.

The national women’s volleyball team only needed to win against Puerto Rico but fell gallantly to their Central American opponents, losing 3-1 in sets of 15-25, 25-19, 18-25 and 20-25 in their final Pool A encounter yesterday evening.

Regardless, the queens showed enough to convince the seasoned gaffer that the future is bright for many of his charges.

” I’m sure few of our players will get a calling to be professional players in the near future  and one day you will lift the Kenya team to another level. I do believe we have been inspired from this experience,” Bitok said.

Some of the players who caught the eye during their campaign in the Netherlands include Veronicah Adhiambo Oluoch who led Kenya’s attack on Saturday with 19 points, followed by Sharon Chepchumba with 10 points.

The duo also starred in Kenya’s match against Cameroon on Tuesday during which Malkia’s whitewashed the African champions in straight sets to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the second round.

Malkia Strikers celebrate a point during their match against Puerto Rico on Saturday evening. PHOTO/COURTESY

Bitok said the team gave their all to make history by qualifying from a tough group that consisted of hosts Netherlands, triple European champions Italy, Belgium, fellow Africans Cameroon and Puerto Rico, but unfortunately came up short.

“Malkia Strikers have sacrificed a lot. We have  been away from our families for months, working so hard to achieve better results for our beloved country. We may not have  met our target as aspired but we learned a lot during this process and we hope to continue until we achieve our goals . We have a young and senior team with a great future,” the former coach of Rwandese side APR said.

Commenting on their overall experience, which began with a two-month training camp in Brazil, Bitok said they have acquired valuable experience that will improve their game at the corporate and individual level.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“We would like to inspire others from what we experienced during our journey in this competition. Apart from competition and  training sessions in Brazil  we visited many sports academies , sporting club complexes and a few clubs in Serbia where we met sports legends and current stars,” he said.

The Kenyans exit the competition with their sole win against the West Africans, having lost their other four matches against the hosts, Belgium, Italy and Puerto Rico.

Advertisement

More on Capital Sports

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 – DStv and GOtv subscribers are in for a treat of the world’s best football this week as the 2020-21...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – There is light at the end of the tunnel. After failed promises over the last three years since its...

Football

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 6 – Gentrix Shikangwa scored with two minutes left as Vihiga Queens sailed to the final of the CECAFA regional qualifiers...

NFL

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – Kenya’s history making Daniel Adongo, the first Kenyan to play in America’s National Football League (NFL), is now living...

© 2024 Capital Digital Media. Capital Group Limited. All Rights Reserved