Agala, Makokha get Commonwealth Games nod
Kenya's Brackcides Agala (right) and Gaudencia Makokha in action during their 2022 Beach Volleyball World Championships Group 'L' match against Italy's Claudia Scampoli and Margherita Blanchin at Foro Italico, in Rome, Italy on June 10, 2022. Kenya lost 2-0.
What you need to know:
- The "Club" Games are set to serve off on July 28 to August 8.
- The other pair of Naomi Too and Phoscah Kasisi has been dropped.
Olympians beach volleyball players Brackcides Agala and Gaudencia Makokha will represent the Kenya at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
The "Club" Games are set to serve off on July 28 to August 8.
The other pair of Naomi Too and Phoscah Kasisi has been dropped.
The two pairs had pitched camp at Pride Inn Flamingo Beach Resort, Mombasa for over a month.
The team's coach Salome Wanjala said the pair of Agala and Makokha was impressive in the training, experience and exposure notwithstanding.
Agala and Makokha participated in the World Championships last month in Italy where they lost all their matches against Poland, Germany and Italy.
"It was a close call but Agala and Makokha excelled. Too and Kasisi also gave a good account of themselves but unfortunately, only one pair has to travel. I hope they will get a chance to compete in the Senior Nations Cup to be staged in Morocco later this month," Salome told Nation Sport.
Marrakech City will host the men and women's Senior Nations Cup on July 25 to August 2.
Salome was speaking on phone from the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi on arrival from Mombasa on Thursday.
"We have moved our training to Nairobi but we will not do much since there are no training facilities at Kasarani," said Wanjala, who is also the Nairobi Prisons women's indoor team coach.
"My prayer is that we will depart to Birmingham early so that we can acclimatise. In Mombasa, it has been raining while in England it's humid. The weather can affect our performance but we know if we leave early, we can cover the lost time," she added.
Kenya are drawn in a tricky Pool 'A' alongside defending champions Canada, New Zealand and Ghana.
Kenya begin their title campaign against New Zealand on July 30, battle Canada on August 1 before they complete their group stage assignments against Ghana a day later.
"If we play well we can proceed to the next stage. Agala and Makokha have been in competitive championships and they know what to do and what is expected of them," said Wanajala.
The top two teams in each pool will earn automatic tickets to the quarter-final with the best loser of each group joining them.
Pool 'B' has Cyprus, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago and Sri Lanka while England headline Pool 'C' that also has Scotland, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.
