Kenya hockey team.[Photo/michezoAfrika]
Kenya men and women national hockey teams put up a poor show finishing fourth in the October 2017 Africa Cup of Nations competition, a qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. Both teams finished fourth in their competition which was won by South Africa teams.
The 2017 Cup of Nations was the best shot for Kenya to make it to the World Cup after Kenyan clubs put up a stellar performance in the January Africa Cup of Club Championships at City Park Stadium, Nairobi.
The combo of the talents from various clubs in Kenya seemed to be the strategy but things fell apart as other teams were better prepared in the competition at the Suez Canal Hockey Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.
The two national teams lost their respective third play-off clashes to end up finishing fourth on the final day of action. Kenyan men lost 3-5 to Ghana while their counterparts failed to beat Nigeria in post-match penalty shootouts. Kenyan women lost 2-1 in the penalties after finishing regular time tied at 3-3.
Kenyan men thus lost twice to Ghanaians after an earlier 3-0 loss in the pool stage opening clash.
Bright moments were however also noted in the competition, youngsters both in the men’s and women’s sides were noted.
Telkom Kenya’s Maureen Okumu, USIU-Africa’s Sandra Vodoti, and Strathmore’s Yvonne Karanja put up a good show despite the fourth finish. In the men’s camp, Constant Wakhura and Festus Onyango put in a good show as well as they put in solid efforts to hunt points for Kenya despite the setbacks.
The men’s side currently lies at position 42 in the International Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings while their women counterparts are ranked 40th. South African teams are ranked first in Africa make the world’s top 15 cut.