False start for handball squad in Africa championship

Kenya's national handball team player Walter Nyongesa in action during a past training session. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • The Kenyan contingent left the country on Wednesday night and arrived in Cairo at 3am, just six hours before the game.
  • Kenya, which is ranked 12th in Africa, is among 12 countries that are seeking to qualify Cairo.
  • In the other opening day results, Cameroon beat Nigeria 24-15 and Tunisia recorded a 30-18 win over Libya.

The national men’s handball team on Thursday lost 16-42 to Angola in their first Africa Cup of Nations match at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt.

The Kenyan team trailed the South African side throughout the game, and was down 6-20 at half-time.

Spirited efforts by key players including captain Victor Siero and Kenyan international Brian Mathews did not make much difference. The team only managed 10 goals in the second half against Angola’s 22.

Coach Peter Mwathi blamed the poor start on their late arrival. He promised better results in their next match Friday afternoon.

“We were well prepared for this tournament. Had we arrived here (Cairo) in good time, we would have performed better. Nevertheless, this is only the opening match, I believe that we shall play better in subsequent games,” he said.

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The Kenyan contingent left the country on Wednesday night and arrived in Cairo at 3am, just six hours before the game.

They will face Congo today at the same venue, before taking on Tunisia on Saturday morning. Thereafter, the team wrap up the group stage in a match against DR Congo, who are so far unbeaten.

This is the second edition of the tournament, which also doubles up as the Olympics qualifier. The winner will book a direct ticket to the Rio Games scheduled for August this year in Brazil.

Kenya, which is ranked 12th in Africa, is among 12 countries that are seeking to qualify Cairo.

In the other opening day results, Cameroon beat Nigeria 24-15 and Tunisia recorded a 30-18 win over Libya.