PARIS, France, Jul 28 – Kenya Sevens co-captain and two-time Olympian Vincent Onyala believes organizers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games have an uphill task to match what Paris showcased during Friday’s Opening Ceremony along the Seine River.
“The beauty of the Paris 2024 Olympics is Friday’s Opening Ceremony. Whoever did that need to be taken care of for the next Olympics,” Onayala, who was at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics told Capital Sport after their last Paris Olympics match against Samoa.
The 27-year-old , who is the most experienced player in the team, narrated the dreamlike moment of sailing down the Seine River; saying: “It was an experience of a lifetime and the boys really enjoyed it.”
Paris enjoyed its first Olympics in a century with a rain-soaked, picturesque opening ceremony laden with stars and fantasy along the Seine.
“Players were coming to the village and no one wanted to shut up; like who will listen to the other because there were chants all around how unique the experience was,” said Onyala adding: “At the end of the day, those are the things we picked. France was lit.”
Comparing his Olympic participation in Tokyo and Paris, Onyala says he is pretty disappointed.
“I am disappointed with this one because, personally, I expected 8th position as the very least to come out of this Olympics. At the end of the day, it’s rugby, its sevens, the coin flips on the other side and we are on the other end,” he recounted.
Onyala believes there is a need to impart the experience and bring the boys up to speed.
“Now that they (team) have learnt what it takes to be at the Olympics; it’s a learning curve that they have taken. They need to adjust because the rugby sevens calendar is a quick turnaround. In the next few months, we will be starting the World Series. The same teams we played are probably the same teams we will face at the World Series; we just need to take it a game at a time and see how it goes,” Onyala, who features for KCB Rugby Club explained.
Onyala is also grateful to fans who have always supported the team. “Our fans love rugby and I really appreciate them because they are all over us and they give us constant support.”
Born on 10 December 1996, Onyala competed in the men’s tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
He was named the most valuable player of the 2019 Kenya National Sevens Circuit.
He also represented Kenya at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
VINCENT ONYALA FACT FILE
VINCENT ONYALA – Co-Captain
AGE: 27
CLUB: KCB Rugby Club
POSITION: Center/forward
HOME TOWN: Ugunja
HOBBIES: Cooking/watching/listening to philosophical podcasts
FAVOURITE FOOD: Goat meat
OCCUPATION: Student/business person/athlete
ROLE MODEL: Andrew Amonde
HIGH SCHOOL: Ruaraka High School
UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE: The Catholic University of East Africa
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Paris, France-
