Musa names 'Hit Squad' for Africa Zone III Boxing Championships

Former Africa champion Nick "Commander " Okoth and Elizabeth Andiego will lead the national boxing team, Hit Squad, to the Africa Zone III Boxing Championships scheduled for April 3 to 11 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Okoth and Andiego, both Olympians, won silver and bronze medals respectively during the last year's event held in the same city.

The team leaves the country on Sunday for the championships.

While naming a squad of 12 men and 10 female boxers on Thursday, head coach Benjamin Musa said that they are going for improved performance as they hope for fair officiating at the Congolese capital.

"We focused a lot on our tactical approach in training and we can only know we have done something during and after the competition," said Musa, adding that he named the team a day earlier on request from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K).

Among the newcomers in the women's team are the 19-year-old bantamweight Alice Waiyego, who cleared high school last year, featherweight Amina Martha and flyweight Ann Wanjiru.

"It's a good thing that we are not leaving any woman behind. This is a good exposure to them considering that we shall use the event to select a team for the World Championships," said Musa.

The women's team also has three boxers who were in last year's team.

They are Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Christine Ongare (Minimum weight), who won silver in last year, Elizabeth Akinyi (middleweight) and Stacy Ayoma (Lightweight).

Andiego and Ongare are the only female boxers who won medals from last year's competition.

The championships will see the return of Kenya Defence Forces pugilist Isaac Meja in featherweight.

Meja joins Francis Denga (light heavyweight) and Samuel Njau (featherweight), who missed out last year.

The men's team also has super heavyweight defending champion Elly Ajowi, Boniface Mugunde (light middleweight) and David Karanja (flyweight),  who claimed silver medals last year.

Shaffi Bakari (Bantamweight), who settled for bronze last year, will be hoping for better tidings this time round.

Kenya fielded 16 boxers last year to win 12 medals; one gold, five silver and six bronze medals.

This year, the country will have six more boxers.

Squad

Men

Minimum weight - Martin Maina

Flyweight - David Karanja

Bantamweight - Shaffi Bakari

Featherweight - Isaac Meja

Featherweight - Samuel Njau

Lightweight - Nick Okoth (captain)

Light welterweight - Victor Odhiambo, Welterweight - Joseph Shigali

Light middleweight - Boniface Mugunde, Middleweight - Edwin Okong'o

Light heavyweight - Francis Denga

Super heavyweight - Elly Ajowi

Women

Minimum weight - Christine Ongare, Flyweight - Ann Wanjiru, Bantamweight - Alice Waiyego, Featherweight - Amina Martha, Lightweight - Stacy Ayoma,
Light welterweight -Teresia Wanjiru, Welterweight - Everlyn Akinyi,
Light middleweight - Lorna Kusa, Middleweight - Elizabeth Akinyi,
Light heavyweight - Elizabeth Andiego