Women’s handball team counting on experience in Tunisia

The Kenyan team clinched silver in the global tour, played just a few days before the Beach Games start in Hammamet as well.

They lost to hosts Tunisia in the final, but they say the lessons picked will be vital for them heading to the African showpiece which starts today.

They have within their ranks the experienced Michelle Adhiambo, also the skipper of the Nairobi Water handball team, and she says they have prepared well enough to push themselves into the medal bracket.

“We have had a chance to play against some of the teams during the Global Tour and it has had a really great impact on our preparation. It has helped us get to know the teams and also settle in early enough, so we are ready,” Adhiambo said.

She added: “We will take every match seriously. We will not underrate any team even those we beat in the global tour because they have definitely gone and done their homework on us.”

Assistant captain Viona Felicia Wandera also says they feel confident after their performance in the Global Tour, and has promised they will battle to try get into medal prospects.

“It has been a tough training period straight from when we were in Mtwapa until we got here for the global tour, but we are ready for the competition. Playing in the global tour has really helped us and we want to try to do better, which is going for gold,” she said.

Meanwhile, the men, who open the competition against Morocco on Saturday, had their first training session on Friday evening and they say they are ready to contest. Senior player Kelvin Obunga says they want to do better than the first edition in Sal, Cape Verde, in 2019, when they lost all their matches.

“We have confidence, especially looking at how we have prepared. We have been in camp in Buntwani for the last one and a half weeks as a team together and it has helped us work on various aspects of our game. This time, we want to try and do better and even fight for a medal,” he said.