K. TeyaTOKYO 2020: Nick Okoth takes to the ring on Saturday
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 22.07.21. | 18:15
Nick Okoth kick offs his 2020 Olympics campaign on Saturday
Nick Okoth, the 2015 Africa Boxing Championships lightweight gold medalist will be in action on Saturday 24 July at the Olympics in the featherweight category. He kicks off his campaign against Erdenebat Tsendbaatar from Mongolia.
Okoth will be returning to the Olympics, 13 years after he got bundled out in the primary stage in Beijing China in 2008. He made it to Tokyo through the continental qualifiers.
Weighing 57kgs, the ringster will be hoping to add an Olympic medal to the bronze that he won at the 2020 Commonwealth Games in India, he also bagged the same medal at the 2015 African Games. The lone gold in his name was one at the 2015 Africa Championship, he was fighting in the lightweight category then.
The last time Kenya won a boxing medal at the Olympics was in Seoul, 1988 where Robert Napunyi Wangila won gold in the Welterweight category. Chris Joseph Sande on the other hand bagged Bronze in the Middleweight category in the same Olympics and, Commander as he is famously referred to said he is keen on reaching the medal bracket this time and is well prepared for the showdown in Tokyo.
“This time, I’m more focused to reach the medal bracket and it is the reason I’m still ambitious to improve on the work rate of throwing jabs in comparison to former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson”, the military officer told the Standard.
Rio 2016 Olympian Nick Okoth & rookie Christine Ongare secured places in their respect weight divisions, with the former advancing to the final match and the latter scoring a box-off victory at the 2020 African Qualification Tournament in Diamniadio, Senegal. #WatchThemRiseOnDStv pic.twitter.com/EU4PNHaMRk
— FRIN (@Elkanakipngeno) July 21, 2021
Elly Ajowi has in the meantime been given a bye from the round of 32 and will face Cuban boxer Julio Cesar La Cruz in the heavyweight category on Tuesday 27th July. This is the first time that the 2021 Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championship gold medalist will be gracing the Olympics. He qualified by the showpiece by the virtue of his high ranking at the continental level.
In an earlier interview before he flew to Tokyo with the other boxers, Ajowi expressed confidence that he would perform well at the Olympics saying that other opponents are scared of his abilities.
What I know is that my opponents are scared of me because they already know what I'm capable of achieving in the ring. I've been working day and night to improve my speed and defence and I believe I've gained some significant ground,” Ajowi told the Star.
