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National Tae Kwon Do team jet out for Turkish Open

National Tae Kwon Do team

From Left, Innocent Wafula (Middleweight), Everlyn Aluoch (Middleweight), Mary Mureu (Featherweight), Ex-Corporal Nesmas Mbati (Team Manager), Master Eliakim Ogenga (Coach), Milka Akinyi (Lightweight), Sharon Wafula ( Bantam) and Shawn Michael (Featherweight) at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on February 10, 2022 before leaving for Turkey for the Turkish Open.

Photo credit: Pool

By  Geoffrey Anene

Reporter

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • Master Eliakim Ogenga-coached side left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Thursday 4.00am and landed safely in Antalya at 3.00pm after connecting via Istanbul
  • Representing Kenya at the international event are Innocent Wafula (Middleweight) and Shawn Michael (Featherweight) in the men’s categories
  • Kenyans vying for points in the women’s categories are Mary Mureu (Featherweight), Everlyn Aluoch (Middleweight), Mildred Akinyi “Milka” Alango (Lightweight) and Sharon Wafula (Bantam)

The national Tae Kwon Do team has landed in Antalya, Turkey for this weekend's Turkish Open which is a pathway to to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games tickets.

Master Eliakim Ogenga-coached side left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Thursday 4.00am and landed safely in Antalya at 3.00pm after connecting via Istanbul.

“This is the first international build-up tournament for our players to participate in. It is a crucial one because it is a ranking game towards the 2024 Olympics,” said team Manager Nesmas Mbati Wesonga after arriving in Antalya.

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Representing Kenya at the international event are Innocent Wafula (Middleweight) and Shawn Michael (Featherweight) in the men’s categories.

Kenyans vying for points in the women’s categories are Mary Mureu (Featherweight), Everlyn Aluoch (Middleweight), Mildred Akinyi “Milka” Alango (Lightweight) and Sharon Wafula (Bantam). None of the Kenyan players have ever competed at the Turkish Open.

Akinyi is the first ever Tae Kwon Do exponent to represent Kenya at the Olympics. She was at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China together with Dickson Wamwiri who passed on in September 2020.

Kenya was back in Tae Kwon Do at the Olympics when Faith Ogallo qualified for 2020 Tokyo Games held in Japan last year.

In the headlines