Kenyans head to Dubai for World Karate Championships

Kenya's karate team will travel to Dubai on Saturday to compete in the 25th World Karate Federations Senior Championships.

The competition will take place at the Hamdan Sports Complex from November 16 to November 21.

Kenya will make its fourth appearance at the competition following participation in 1980 (Madrid, Spain), 2012 (Paris, France), and 2016 (Linz, Austria).

This year's tournament has attracted 956 karatekas from 117 countries.

With 14 competitors picked from various clubs, Kenya will be one of five African countries with more than 10 competitors at the tournament. Algeria and Egypt will send 16 players. Morocco have 14, while South Africa will have 13 representatives.

The other 11 competing African countries are Benin (two), Botswana (two), Burundi (one), Cameroon (eight), Djibouti (one), Guinea (five), Ivory Coast (four), Madagascar (two), Senegal (one), Tunisia (five), and Zimbabwe (one).

Kenya's 14 representatives will compete in various weight classes in three events - individual Kata, individual Kumite, and Team Kumite.

The head coach of the Kenya team, John Owiti, expressed high hopes of getting on the podium for the first time.

"We have never won any medal at the Senior Championships but, our preparations this time give us the confidence of changing that," Owiti told Nation Sport.

"The team started training in May during the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics before focusing on this tournament in September," he added.

A good performance at the tournament will increase their chances of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics through improvement of individual and team rankings.

Owiti also revealed that the 14 karatekas travelling to Dubai emerged the best from a pool of 40 players who had impressed the national team coaches during the first selection exercise in September.

"The 14 karatekas will be in Dubai together with five referees, three coaches, a medic, and three federation officials," Owiti outlined Kenya's delegation to the tournament.

The five referees - Paul Kamau, Caleb Ochola, Emily Nabea, Peter Ochieng', and Lucy Kalobia - left the country on Wednesday night to attend a course programme for referees who will officiate contests at the tournament.

The other two coaches travelling to the tournament are Edwin Gendi and Patrick Kiarie. Mbwitha Musomi will travel as the team's medic.

Dr Enos Muguku, the President of the Kenya Karate Federation, is the head of the delegation. The other KKF officials who will travel are Gabriel Mutuku (Team Manager) and Moraa Onchwari (Team Chaperone).

Stephen Wesonga of the Kenya Prisons Service is the team captain. His assistant is Rose Wanjiku, also of the Kenya Prisons Service.

Kenyan squad:

1. Said Labib Mohammed (Japan Karate Shotorenmei - Kenya) - Male Kata

2. Muriru John Thuo (Nairobi City County) - Male -60kg & Team Kumite

3. Odero Fredrick Abubakar (Nairobi City County) - Male -67 Kg & Team Kumite

4. Wesonga Stephen Mapale (Kenya Prisons Service) - Male -75 Kg & Team Kumite

5. Wambua Christopher Mwangangi (Nairobi City County) - Male -84 Kg & Team Kumite

6. Kyalo John Matei (Kenya Prisons Service) - Male +84kg & Team Kumite

7. Harambe Chris Machanja (Nairobi City County) - Male Team Kumite

8. Muchangi Joshua Macharia (National Police Service) - Male Team Kumite

9. Ngea Catherine Mbithe (Kenya Police Service) - Female -50kg & Team Kumite

10. Muriu Rose Wanjiku (Kenya Prisons Service) - Female -55 Kg & Team Kumite

11. Mutua Georgina Kanini (Nairobi City County) - Female Kata, Female -61kg, & Team Kumite

12. Juma Joyce Akinyi (Kenya Defence Forces) - Female -68kg & Team Kumite

13. Onyango Nancy Eunifrace (Kisumu County) - Female +68kg & Team Kumite

14. Mutiso Rachael Munanie (Nairobi City County) - Female Team Kumite