'Hit Squad' coach Musa hails Kenya's showing at African Boxing Championships as new faces impress

 The national boxing coach, Benjamin Musa, is impressed by his boxers’ remarkable showing at the 21st African Boxing Championship in Kinshasa, DR Congo, where Kenyan bagged gold for the first time since 2017.

Boniface Mogunde won a historic gold at championships in DRC as Team Kenya shone and Musa is also impressed by the showing of debutants Clinton Macharia, who also reached the final, and Aloice Vincent Ochieng who made it to the semi-finals.  Silas Onyango, Chrispine Ochanda and Faith Nafuna advanced to the quarter-finals, helping Kenya finish third, behind powerhouses Morocco and the host nation, DR Congo. Kenya brought home a solid medal count, claiming gold, two silvers, and five bronzes.

“We’re proud of how our boxers represented Kenya in their first international competition. They gave a good account of themselves, and we appreciate the government’s support in making our participation possible,” Coach Musa said. “Opportunities like this are essential to reaching our goals at a continental level.”

In individual performances, super heavyweight Clinton Macharia (92kg+) claimed a silver medal, narrowly missing gold after a tough final bout against Morocco’s Younes Bouhdid.

Light welterweight (60kg) Aloice Vincent Ochieng, representing Mathare North Boxing Club, made it to the semi-finals but fell to eventual champion, South Africa’s John Paul Masamba.

In the minimum weight (48kg) Silas Onyango, a 25-year-old father of three, and a boda boda rider, reached the quarter-finals, where he was defeated by Morocco's Hamza Essaadi.

Cruiserweight Chrispine Ochanda (85kg) also made his debut, but his campaign ended in the quarter-finals against Cameroon’s Abeb Georges. Faith Nafuna, competing in the flyweight (51kg) category, faced a challenging quarter-final bout and lost to South Africa's Ncube Ntandoyenkosi.

Coach Musa also hailed the Kenyan government and the Sports Ministry for their support.