Too partners Adhiambo to win Makueni beach leg

Naomi Too, the All Africa Games (2019) beach volleyball silver medalist made a comeback to beach volleyball with a bang as she partnered budding attacker Veronica Adhiambo to clinch the Makueni leg of the 2021/22 Kenya Beach Volleyball Circuit. 

The men's category title went to the Tanzanian duo of David Neeke and Juliard Mbappe who came from a set down to beat the duo of Elphas Makuto and Jairus Kipkosgei.

Too picked a nasty knee injury on 22 November 2019, during the national league play-offs at Kasarani. The injury forced her out of Olympics qualifiers and the Games, her place taken by Brackcides Agala who was making her debut in the sport. 

She stayed out even as the Circuit threw off in Homabay. With her long time partner, Olympian Gaudencia Makokha electing to partner her Olympics counterpart Agala in Wote, in what was the pairs first Circuit action, Too picked Adhiambo who joined Kenya Pipeline this season from Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and has had little, if any competitively, experience in beach volleyball. 

Starting the competition off in Pool C, Too guided the duo to ease past Gladys Wangui and Judith Tarus in straightsets. They won the second match beating Joan Barasa and Peris Kanus in a similar manner to book a place in the semis. 

Up against the duo of Phosca Kasisi and Yvonne Wavinya in the semis, a pair that represented Kenya at the African Olympics qualifiers, Too and Adhiambo proved too strong as they eased past the duo to book a final slot in sets of 19-21 and 17-21. 

All set for Makueni beach event

As fate would have it, the two were up against the Olympians who had defeated Wangui and Tarus 21-13 and 21-10 to book their final title. 

Makokha and Agala won the first set 23-21. Too and Adhiambo engaged a different gear in set two to win 21-18 and force the match into a tie-breaking set. Confident of their combination of youth and experience, the Pipeline duo put up a spirited performance to win the set 15-10 for victory in the women's category. 

In the men's category, the Tanzanian dominated, beating dockers David Thuita and Elijah Bosire in the semi before dispensing the Kenya Prisons duo in the final.