MIRAMAS, France, Jul 11 – It’s 14 days before the Olympic cauldron is lit in Paris to signify the start of the Games but Kenya 7s play-maker Samuel Asati just can’t wait to grace his maiden Summer Games.
And with the Opening Ceremony just days away, Asati is already counting days to the fabled showpiece with great expectations.
For starters, the soft-spoken scrum-half is convinced that pre-Olympic training in Miramas will come in handy for the Shujaa who are hoping to “break the duck” and go past group stage in Pool.
“Olympics is the pinnacle of sports in the world. I am privileged being a part of it, I am honoured and duty-bound to represent my country at the Games,” Asati told Capital Sport from Miramas.
In terms of acclimatization, Asati explained: “Of course, this will be the weather in the Olympics. We have to adapt to it as early as possible.”
Asati has been associated with the 15’s sides for the longest time, and here is what he had to say about his sevens experience: “Transitioning to the shorter version of the game was not challenging for me. Sevens has a lot of space in which I can express myself as compared to 15s where I am more of a distributor. So, sevens favours me more,” Asati explained.
“As far as my position is concerned, I am the player maker of the team, so, whenever I get lost, it means the team is also lost,” Asanti, the Cardinal Otunga High School alumni went on.
A total of 12 teams will be competing for the Olympics title in matches scheduled between July 24-27.
New Zealand, the top seeds, are in Pool A with Ireland, South Africa, and Japan.
African champions Kenya 7s are placed in Pool B, alongside second-seeds Argentina, who had an impressive run in the World 7s Series, as well as Australia and Samoa.
Pool C comprises the 2016 and 2020 champions Fiji, hosts France, the USA, and Uruguay.
“In terms of our opponents, we played Samoa in Madrid, but we have not played Argentina and Australia this season, so on a technical approach, we’ll figure out how to approach the matches as we take each match as it comes,” the KCB Rugby player analysed.
Physically, Asati is relatively diminutive, but the power that he possesses is amazing, for those who have seen him playing.
Prodded to explain his approach, Asati continued: “It all boils down to the basics. Rugby is considered a basic game, I mean, the tackling is so basic that you have to get your position right. The technical aspects of how you get your positioning right to manoeuvre in the field matters and that’s what favours me.”
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Miramas, France-
