Too doubtful for beach volleyball qualifiers

All Africa Games (2019) beach volleyball silver medalist Naomi Too’s participation at the upcoming repeat second round Olympics qualifiers remains in doubt as coach Sammy Mulinge says her medical team is still accessing her before allowing her to get back to training.

Too, a long-time partner to Gaudencia Makokha in beach volleyball picked a nasty knee injury on November 22 during the national league play-offs at Kasarani. The injury forced her out of the first round qualifiers where Kenya faced off with Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda in pool six whose matches were played between January 10 and 12, 2020 in Dar-es-Salaam.

“Too is yet to begin training with her club, Kenya Pipeline. We are in constant consultations with her medical team and her club as we intend to use her only if she is cleared by the two to play. The team is set to go into non-residential training tentatively next week and we will have a full report on her fitness by then,” said coach Mulinge.

Kenya was set to face off with teams from DR Congo, Cape Verde, Zambia and hosts Nigeria in pool C of the second round. The team, however, failed to honour the matches in Abuja, Nigeria due to Covid-19 related travel restrictions that had been imposed by the government. Only Zambia traveled for the qualifier where they played against the hosts on March 7, 2020.

Initially, International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) had thrown out appeals for repeat qualifiers in May 2020 but persistent pleas yielded as the same FIVB sanctioned the staging of women’s duel in Abuja, Nigeria later in March or early April. 

In Too’s absence Mulinge went for the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) 2019 league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Brackcides Agala who had been left out of Malkia Striker’s squad to the Olympics qualifiers, to play alongside Makokha. The other representatives were Phosca Kasisi and Yvonne Wavinya.

"With dates yet to be specified for the repeat event, we will head to non-residential training first. We are also consulting with the players' respective coaches to come up with a favourable schedule for the players to be able to balance between national team and club training. The indoor league season is on and the clubs are also preparing for Club championships so it is important that they have access to their players until we have a definite date," Mulinge expressed.