TOKYO 2020: Akinyi gets bye as Ongare lands Philippine opposition

Kenya's welterweight pugilist Elizabeth Akinyi is one match away from reaching the Olympics quarters as she was given a bye to the round of 16 during Thursday’s draw.

In a repeat of the Africa Zone Three championship, the 27-year-old will be up against Alcinda Panguana on Tuesday, 27 July, with a win taking her to the last eight. The two are making their debut at the Summer Games, Akinyi having qualified through the ranking system while her Mozambique opponent reached the final of the 2020 African Boxing Olympics Qualification Tournament held in Senegal from February 20 to 29, 2020 to book her ticket to the Games. 

Panguana lost to Moroccan Oumayma Ahbib in the final of the qualifiers. Akinyi had lost to Ahbib in the semifinal. The Mozambique boxer also got a bye to the round of 16. The Moroccan Ahbib has a date with Ukraine's Anna Lysenko on July 27 as well, both boxers having received byes. 

“I have fought against her (Panguana) before during Zone 3 Championship in Kinshasa Congo and lost on points. I have prepared better and I believe I will defeat her this time around when it matters the most,” Akinyi told journalists in Tokyo. 

Meanwhile, 27-year old flyweight Christine Ongare takes to the ring on Sunday 25 July against Philippine’s Irish Magno as she looks to build on her international profile. She represented Kenya at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia winning a bronze medal thus making her the first Kenyan woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in boxing. 

The 29-year old Magno secured a spot for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo by winning her box-off in the flyweight category at the 2020 Asia and Oceania Qualification Tournament in Amman, Jordan. On her part, Ongare was the first Kenyan boxer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, winning bronze at the Senegal qualifiers in 2020.

“I do not know much about my opponent but I will let my punches do the talking on the ring. I want to leave here with a medal and I will put in the work in the ring for that,” Ongare said. 

Meanwhile, the tacticians Benjamin Musa and his deputy David Munuhe believe that despite the tough draws the women are up to the tasks. 

“We know that to become champions we have to defeat champions, so we are ready to take them on. I believe the harder the battle the sweeter the Victory,” Musa told journalists in Tokyo.