ShaLyn Nabifo. [Photo/hivisasa.com] If you thought Kenya cannot produce the best female hockey player in the world like Argentine Luciana Aymar, then think again.
Kenya’s Shalyn Nabifo is determined to go places and become the Diego Maradona that Aymar was on the field between 1994 and 2014.
Aymar bagged the Field Hockey World Player of the Year award eight times.Nabifo, too, wants to follow the footsteps of midfielder Aymar, who retired three years ago at the age of 37.
“She’s the greatest female field hockey player ever. I would like to be like her and I won’t rest until I achieve that goal,” says Nabifo, who was born in 1998 when Aymar graduated to play for the Argentina national senior team.
Nabifo attended Bethlehem Academy in Ruiru and then Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School in Nyeri. She says she chose hockey because it sharpened her confidence.
“Through hockey, my decision-making improved and I was able to assert myself in terms of academics and life,” the medicine student from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology says.
She learnt hockey at Ngandu in Form One in 2013. “The first time a saw hockey was when I joined Form One at Ngandu Girls, but I was inspired to play hockey by a Multimedia University player Patrick (Munene)…He laid a great foundation for me to start hockey.”
Her journey has not been rosy. “Balancing between hockey and academics was tricky. Another challenge I encountered playing hockey in high school was that some teachers were just against sports. But, I thank my parents because they gave me full support,” Nabifo says.
After high school, Nabifo almost ditched hockey. She actually took a break from hockey. Reason: Old, experienced players saw her as a threat.
“Instead of nurturing upcoming players like me, they work hard to bring you down,” she notes.
“I also thought I was the best in the country because I was the best at Ngandu Girls, but I was shocked when I found even better players than me out here. These together with life with a new coach adversely affected confidence and I decided to take a break late last year,” Nabifo shared her story.
However, she says, the driving force to be the best brought her back into the game early in 2017. And, renowned hockey coach Tom Olal contributed a lot in Nabifo changing her mind. “He registered me and other three upcoming players to play for Multimedia University in the Women Hockey Premier League.
“One big challenge now is accessing City Park stadium (the only international hockey stadium in Kenya). We used to train here three days a week, but now that has been reduced to once. Unfortunately, we used to train on Saturdays up to midday, but the hours have also been reduced after Kenya Hockey Union introduced league matches from 10.00am. Because of the passion I have for the game, I want to take Kenya to the next level,” she says and asked players aged between 17 and 21 to return to the game.
“This age bracket is missing in action yet it’s the generation that will bring back that lost glory. Old players should also stop demoralizing us and put the country first,” says Nabifo, whose role models in Kenya are speedy striker Pauline Naise from Chase Amira and Telkom captain Tracy Karanja.
The midfielder agrees with the idea fronted by Tujiamini na SportPesa campaign of believing in yourself. She says, “For you to stand out in hockey, you must believe in yourself. The difference between the best and the rest is confidence.”
Tujiamini is giving upcoming sports heroes like Nabifo, the rare opportunity to showcase their talent and stand a chance to be nurtured by the best in the country. If you know any upcoming sports heroes or if you are one, go to this page https://tujiamini.co.ke/upcoming-talent-page/ and tell us what you can do.
You might be among the lucky ones who will train with the greatest sporting stars or get sponsored. This opportunity is open to people of all ages.