History-girl Ongare dreams big
What you need to know:
- First Kenyan woman to win Commonwealth Games boxing medal out to inspire more women to join sport.
History-making Christine Ongare believes her exploits at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast will not only secure her employment but will also inspire the growth of boxing among women in Kenya.
Ongare became the first Kenyan woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in boxing when she claimed bronze in flyweight category in Gold Coast on Friday.
Ongare reached the semi-finals when the referee stopped the contest after her opponent, Dulani Jayasinnhe of Sri Lanka, suffered an injury during their quarter-final fight.
In the semi-finals, Ongare proved no match for Carly McNaul of Northern Ireland, who beat her on unanimous 5-0 points. It was also the first time Kenyan male boxers failed to win a medal since the 2002 edition in Manchester.
“I’m jobless but I hope for a breakthrough after claiming bronze medal in Gold Coast. Most of my colleagues have employment challenges too and life is tough for us,” said Ongare, adding that although they are passionate about boxing, their dreams are often cut short due to lack of funding.
Ongare said she had focused on reaching the final in Gold Coast but she was humbled to have saved Kenya the blushes by winning the country’s only medal in boxing.
“The least I expected was silver after I got bronze in the African Championships. I still thank God since his time is always the best,” the 25-year-old Ongare said. She thanked Ken Otieno of KenTrack Club in Nairobi for using personal resources to nurture boxers.
“I hope my medal will not be in vain since I want to encourage more women to join boxing,” said Ongare, who embraced boxing back in 2011 in Nairobi’s Kariobangi Estate.
TERGAT, TUWEI JET BACK
Ongare was in a contingent of 21 athletes and officials who arrived yesterday from Gold Coast, led by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya chairman Paul Tergat and Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei.
Tergat and Tuwei said the results from Gold Coast were fair, although Kenya’s performance in Gold Coast was below that from the previous two editions of the Games, especially in athletics.
Tergat said Kenya can’t improve in sports without robust funding and preparations in all the disciplines. Tuwei said plans are underway for the establishment of fully-fledged camps in Nairobi and Eldoret to mould new talent.
Tuwei said a sprints and field events camp will be put up in Nairobi for a start before middle and long distance camps are established in Eldoret.
