
Kenya looking to bounce back in Africa handball tourney
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 18.01.24. | 17:46
On Friday, they face an Angola side that has three bronze medals to their name
National men’s handball team on Wednesday lost their opening match 59-18 to Tunisia at the ongoing Africa Senior Cup of Nations tourney in Cairo, Egypt.
The team will look to bounce back when they take on Angola on Friday 19 January.
Timothy Kirimi and Nicholas Okore led the onslaught for Kenya with five and four goals in the loss against the record African champions, Tunisia, who hold 24 podium finishes including 10 gold medals, two better than Egypt.
Kirimi said the loss represents a learning curve for the youthful squad.
"This is the best-ever assembled squad and I believe if the team is kept intact, it will record better results in future. As much as we lost the opening tie, the score line showed some improvement from the last time the two nations met and we want to build on this and see what happens," Kirimi told Daily Nation.
“It's such an honour that the technical bench had faith in me to draft me as the only left winger in the team. It's a huge role and responsibility but I have taken it with grace. In the club, I also play that role but I hope I will perform well and reward their trust in me," added Kirimi.
Kenya has played in the championship thrice, making a debut in 2004 for a ninth-place finish. They returned in 2016 looking to improve their ranking but finished 12th. In 2020, it was a 15th-place finish. On Friday, they face an Angola side that has three bronze medals to their name.
In 2022, Kenya had been pooled alongside Guinea, Algeria and Gabon but withdrew.
The competition acts as the African qualifying tournament for the 2025 World Men's Handball Championship, with the top five nations qualifying.












