TOKYO 2020: Beach volleyball is not for lazy people, Makokha asserts

She has become synonymous with beach volleyball in Kenya. Those not conversant with the dynamics of the sport get surprised when they see her on Pipeline's lineup for indoor action. Gaudencia Makokha has, however, perfected the art of switching between the two variations of the sport. 

The lanky attacker made her debut at KCB and was part of the national team that won the African Championship in 2013, the same year she got into beach volleyball. 

Her switch to beach volleyball has finally paid off as she is representing the country at the biggest sporting event any athlete would have wanted to compete in. This, she says, would not have been possible had she stuck to indoor volleyball. 

Alongside her partner, Brackcides Agala and coach Sammy Mulinge, she left the country on July 17 for Tokyo, Japan arriving on Sunday 9 July and began their training on Tuesday 20 July. 

"We had two sessions in our first training and the humidity here is crazy! We are trying to adjust. The first session was not that good, but the second one was better. I hope the next session (Wednesday 21 July) will be better," she offered. 

"The most important thing, in helping cope with the heat is sleeping early and drinking water. Dehydration will lead to a difficult time during training and into the championship so we have to take care of our bodies on that way and also rest," she continued. 

Up against some of the best teams in the championship in Rio Olympics bronze medalist USA, who are ranked second globally, third-ranked Brazil and Latvia who are 17th on the FIVB rankings Makokha says they are keeping their cards close until they hit the sand for their first match on July 26 against Brazil. 

"It is early to tell whether we can go past the group stages. We will have a feel of the championship after we play the first match. We will take one game at a time. You can’t tell whether you will be knocked out and yet you have not even played the first match. It is about taking one match at a time," she said.

Makokha called out the lack of organisation in the beach volleyball circuit pointing out that participating in qualification events and said the championship is not enough to grow the sport. 

“I think we are already used to this type of situation. The only time we go to train at the Coast is when we have beach volleyball championships. We are used to these conditions, but it is time the government chipped in. Other countries have come here (Olympics) after completing the World Tour in Switzerland. For us, we only had the match in Morocco to prepare. So it is a bit challenging, but then we are used to it as Africans. However, it is a challenge the government and federation has to take," 

“We need to start a beach volleyball circuit for us to catch up with the rest of the world. We have the potential. Now we are the African champions and we are here at the Olympics. We have been going to the World Championship but it is still not enough. We need to go for the World Tours and have a lot of tournaments for us to have good results," she says. 

On her move to beach volleyball, Gau as she is commonly known says it was not challenging while admitting it was the best decision she ever made. 

"It is all about going for it and working hard. You need to have the potential. Beach volleyball is not for lazy people. You have to work hard for it. Listen to your coach and work with your partner like twins. This is not a sport for joyriders. You have to put in the work and know the purpose for your training and why you are on the court," she boldly states.