Kenya shines in Judo, fencing as medal tally grows at African Youth Games

Rael Kulova and Harun Amin delivered judo’s two bronze at the Complexo Desportivo da Cidadela while Kinoti Kiara capped off the memorable day with a third-place finish in sabre fencing to push Kenya’s tally to four gold, three silver and seven bronze.

Kulova, who is ranked 93rd globally in the juniors’ category and 233rd in the seniors, scored a yuko to edge out her Nigerian counterpart in the Under 48kg bronze category contest.

The win saw the fast-rising judoka sign off her year on a high note following memorable outings in 2025 that include a gold win at the Casablanca Cadet African Cup held on January 17 in Morocco.

The youngster, who draws her inspiration from Zeddy Cherotich who made history in 2024 as the first Kenyan woman to compete in judo at the Olympics, was also in the podium at the Pretoria Cadet African Cup on June 28 and Pretoria Junior African Cup held on June 29 in South Africa, where she won bronze in the two events.

Kulova, 16, has her sights firmly set on representing Kenya at the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar, and aims to put Kenya’s judo on the global map.

“I wanted to win gold but I’m happy for the bronze. The preparations were good and I knew the challenge would be high at this stage where everyone is eyeing to play at next year’s Youth Olympic Games. This year’s performance is like a sneak peak of how 2026 will be. I’m going back home a happy girl looking forward for more medals for my country Kenya,” said Kulova.

For Harun Amin, his debut at the continental scene will remain memorable after scoring a Waza-ari against his opponent from Senegal before roaring to a bronze medal with an ippon in the Under 50kg category.

The teenager, who trains in Rongai with Kajiado Stars, views the bronze win as a pivotal step in achieving his breakthrough in the sport.

“I’m so happy because besides being my first time to play at the continental championship, this is my first time to board a flight. This win now gives me more energy to work hard. I want to play in more championships and win more medals,” said Amin.

The national Under-17 judo team head coach Alice Chebet praised the youngsters for their feat, admitting that the sport has made a splash in the country.

“We really needed these wins at this particular time. The year is ending and we’re entering 2026 which will be very busy for judo. The training was intense for the last three months and the players have really done what I’ve been telling them. Mentally they are strong and that’s why despite losing their opening matches, they responded well in the subsequent ones.

“I’m aslo happy to have contributed to the medal tally for Team Kenya. More is coming and I urge my players to keep up the spirit, determination and discipline as we head to 2026,” said Chebet, who also trains the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) judo team.

Meanwhile, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) president Shadrack Maluki who doubles up as the Africa Judo Chairman emphasized the need to diversify the nation's medal haul and provide equal opportunities and support to all sports federations.

“Our strategy of diversification is bearing fruits. We’ve won medals in judo, karate and fencing, so overly reliant on track and field events for our success will come to an end. We want to ensure that the other sports reach the level of athletics and also ensure that the athletics even hits another level as we head to Youth Olympics and Los Angeles 2028.

“Besides the Youth Olympics, these youngsters will be prime for the Brisbane 2032 and that’s our target to ensure we’ve a super and gradual transition,” said Maluki.

The African Youth Games, which are tailor-made for athletes aged 14 to 17 years, bring together competitors from across the continent to compete in 33 different sports.