Ex-Malkia Strikers ace opens up on dashed dreams
Kenya's Lydia Maiyo receives the ball during their Africa Nations Championships match against Algeria at Kasarani Gymnasium on June 14, 2015. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The Kenya Prisons player was part of the team that gained promotion from Group Three of the FIVB World Grand Prix to Group Two in Australia in 2015
- Maiyo, who won the best attacker accolades during the African Clubs Championship in Mauritius in 2010 and a couple of local awards, said the current players are money oriented
- The right attacker who helped Kenya Prisons retain the women's Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) National League title last season alongside experienced middle blocker Brackcides Agala advised current players to have passion for the sport
Lanky volleyball player Lydia Maiyo has said she was dropped from the national team at the peak of her career.
Maiyo, a sibling of former Kenyan international Phillip Maiyo, joined the national team in 2007 after graduating from powerhouse Lugulu Girls High School and became a regular.
The Kenya Prisons player was part of the team that gained promotion from Group Three of the FIVB World Grand Prix to Group Two in Australia in 2015.
Maiyo who is arguably the tallest woman volleyball player in the country with a height of 185 centimetres, was overlooked ahead of second round of Olympic qualifiers in Puerto Rico in 2016 .
That would be the last time, the Corporal attached to Industrial Area Prisons, Nairobi received a national team call-up.
BEST ATTACKER
"By then, I was 27-years-old, and in any sport, that would been an athlete’s prime. To date, I have never understood why I was axed from the team because I believe I still had a lot to offer,” the mother of two said.
"Maybe things would have been different if I was a professional player. In 2012 and 2016, clubs from Romania and France were interested in my services but the moves hit a snag then due to the nature of my work.”
The right attacker who helped Kenya Prisons retain the women's Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) National League title last season alongside experienced middle blocker Brackcides Agala advised current players to have passion for the sport.
Maiyo, who won the best attacker accolades during the African Clubs Championship in Mauritius in 2010 and a couple of local awards, said the current players are money oriented.
"Times have changed. In our time, talent bargained for us to earn a place in a given club or even the national team. But now, it's about how much money a club can offer a player and the highest bidder carries the day," Maiyo, who credits her exploits to KVF technical director and Kenya Prisons men's coach David Lung'aho, said.
"But I hope the players are investing from their earnings. They will not play forever and they need a fall back plan," said Maiyo.
Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics set for next year, Maiyo acknowledged that Kenya will do well if they get proper preparations.
