Paris Olympics: Will Shujaa defy the odds make it to the podium?

The Kenya Sevens Rugby team, the Shujaa, will be out to secure a podium finish when they make their third Olympics appearance in Paris starting this Wednesday.

Kevin Wambua’s charges have been placed in Group Pool B alongside; Samoa, Australia, and reigning HSBC Sevens Circuit champions, Argentina.

Shujaa debuted at the Olympics in Rio 2016, where they were placed in Pool C alongside; Great Britain, Japan, and New Zealand.

They did not perform well, finishing 11th in the tournament with just a single win.

In Tokyo 2020, they were placed in Pool C alongside; South Africa, the United States, and Ireland.

It was another disappointing outing for Kenya, as they ended up winning the 9th-place playoff.

Shujaa has undergone a complete metamorphosis in the last year, and heading into the Paris Olympics, there is optimism that Kenya could achieve a podium finish.

It started with Shujaa’s relegation from the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in May 2023 in London after a poor run for Kenya, contributed by both on- and off-pitch problems. The relegation had long been coming.

What followed was the dismissal of coach Damian McGrath and the appointment of Wambua as the new boss.

Wambua’s appointment was well received within rugby circles, and it was not long before Kenyans understood why there was optimism within rugby circles when he was handed the mantle.

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Weeks after his appointment, Wambua led Kenya Sevens to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after beating South Africa 17-12 in the final of the Rugby Africa Men's Sevens. This ensured that for the third Olympics in a row, Shujaa would be represented.

The team then earned core status in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at the start of June when they beat Germany 33-15 in the crunch promotion/relegation playoff match in the 2024 Grand Final tournament held in Madrid, Spain.

Wambua has continued to rebuild and improve the sevens team.

The youthful team, which boasts the likes of Kevin Wekesa, George Ooro, Samuel Asati, and Patrick Odongo among others is performing well and he has managed to finally handle the player transition well, one of the issues blamed for Kenya’s rugby downfall.

“It has been smooth because of the support I’m getting from the coaches and my teammates. We are working hard to ensure we are ready for the games, and I believe we have what it takes to make Kenyans proud,” Asati said in an earlier interview in Miramas, France.

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Coach Wambua understands that the task ahead is not an easy one.

“Top 12 teams in the world. No easy feat. Highest level of competition. We face Argentina, who are the circuit winners, Australia, who we have faced a couple of times, and Samoa, who we beat in the promotion/relegation clash in Madrid,” he stated.

The first game comes up against HSBC circuit winners, and coach Wambua has labeled each game they will feature in as a final.

“We will face Argentina first, and we have to treat that first game as a final. We know that to win a medal, you need to play five finals, so for us, every game will be a final. The boys have worked hard in terms of fitness with Andrew, and the technical bench has also done its bit.”

Kenya's Olympics squad: Vincent Onyala (CC), Tony Omondi (CC), John Okoth, Kevin Wekesa, George Ooro, Samuel Asati, Nigel Amaitsa, Brian Tanga, Patrick Odongo, Lamech Ambetsa, Chrisant Ojwang, Herman Humwa

Traveling Reserves: Festus Shiasi, Dennis Abukuse

Training Reserve: Brian Mutugi

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