How judo helped Blak Blad's Wakhungila bag Driftwood 7s gong after 4-year rugby hiatus
.jpg)
.jpg)
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 27.09.24. | 09:04
Wakhungila had last played for Kabras RFC in the Eric Shirley Shield against Blak Blad before stepping away due to work commitments.
Blak Blad's Victor Wakhungila made a long-awaited return to rugby in 2024 after a four-year hiatus, during which the game relentlessly called him back.
His return was nothing short of triumphant, highlighted by a standout performance at the Driftwood 7s.
He notched an impressive 33 points for Blak Blad, helping his team achieve their best finish of the season by defeating his former side, Kabras Sugar RFC, to secure third place.
That exceptional performance earned him the title of top points scorer for the leg, marking a successful return to the game he loves.
Wakhungila had last played for Kabras RFC in the Eric Shirley Shield against Blak Blad before stepping away due to work commitments.
He was stationed in an area where rugby was inaccessible, which led to his temporary break from the sport.
However, during this period, he immersed himself in a new challenge; judo where he trained with the Ulinzi Judo team from January 2023.
There, he honed his fitness and sharpened his skills, which, he admits, came in handy when he made his rugby comeback.
"I started working in late 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was deployed at Nadapal on the South Sudan border in October 2021, and in 2023, I moved back to Nairobi.
That’s when I started training judo with the Ulinzi Judo team,” he told Mozzart Sport.
But how does he balance the two?
“I train for judo from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm and rugby from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. I love both sports, so I balance them well. Judo is my employer’s sport, but I play rugby for the love of the game,” he offered.
Rugby sevens matches consist of seven-minute halves, while judo matches are shorter, lasting only four minutes.
Despite the difference in match duration, the intense nature of both sports helped him maintain his endurance and agility.
"Strength and conditioning are similar in rugby and judo. The only difference is the cardio in rugby," he explained.
Off the field, Wakhungila has also made strides in his professional life. He studied cyber security and ethical hacking at the Institute of Software Technology and has worked with several companies in his field.
However, his passion for sports remains strong, and his ambitions are high.
He hopes to represent Kenya in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, following in the footsteps of his friend and fellow judo athlete, Zeddy Cherotich, who represented Kenya at the Olympics.
