Lung’aho’s magic wows rivals
What you need to know:
- Good Training: While appearing on a morning sports show in Uganda, Kenya’s coach David Lung’aho confessed that the primary reason why his side came out on top was the stiff training his side went through. The team spent close to two months preparing for the qualifiers on average, training four to seven hours daily.
- Focus on goal: From Egypt to Burundi, Ethiopia and even Uganda, Kenya respected all their opponents. “We are a good side but we can’t just go on taking teams for granted,” skipper Janet Wanja said after their victory over rivals Egypt.
The national women’s volleyball team qualified for this year’s All Africa Games for the eighth straight time since 1987.
The Africa Zone Five qualifiers held in Kampala last week saw Kenya beat their arch-rivals Egypt 3-1 sets before dispatching Ethiopia, Burundi and Uganda 3-0 sets to qualify unbeaten.
Kenya will play at this year’s edition of the All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville in September alongside runners-up Egypt.
Here are five reasons that made Kenya run over opponents in Kampala, wining the admiration of fellow coaches.
Good Training: While appearing on a morning sports show in Uganda, Kenya’s coach David Lung’aho confessed that the primary reason why his side came out on top was the stiff training his side went through. The team spent close to two months preparing for the qualifiers on average, training four to seven hours daily.
Discipline: Discipline is key to any sportsman’s journey to success. And the team, while in Kampala, rode on that pillar.
“If you want to go far you need to keep your discipline in and out of camp, they (players) know it, you ask anyone them,” he said.
TAKING TEAMS FOR GRANTED
Focus on goal: From Egypt to Burundi, Ethiopia and even Uganda, Kenya respected all their opponents. “We are a good side but we can’t just go on taking teams for granted,” skipper Janet Wanja said after their victory over rivals Egypt.
Scouting: After the exclusion of captain Bracksides Agala and setter Jane Wacu, Lung’aho never failed to find replacements due to good scouting. Setter Joy Lusenaka (Prisons) middle players Triza Atuka (Pipeline) and Edith Wisa Mukuvulani (Prisons) are the notable new faces on the team.
Sponsorship: After the Kenya Volleyball Federation signed a deal worth Sh42m with National Oil Corporation to sponsor the national team for the next three years, little did the players know that they would benefit directly.
Apart from kitting the team and providing other incentives, morale of the players was boosted by the hefty allowances. Each player earned between Sh50,000 and Sh100,000 during training and the trip to Kampala.
Thirst for gold medal: Kenya hasn’t won gold medal at the All Africa Games since 1999 in Johannesburg. The team settled for bronze in 2003 (Abuja), 2007 (Algiers) 2011 (Maputo). Lung’aho and company want to change that, and this is the sole reason they took the qualifiers seriously.
