NAIROBI, Kenya, March 5 – Top Kenyan wrestler Mark Omumasaba says his silver medal at last year’s Africa Beach Games has inspired him to aspire for more at the African Games in Accra, Ghana.
Omumasaba says his target is to win another medal at the quadrennial event, which begins on Thursday.
“Winning silver in Tunisia (Hammamet) was a great moment and huge inspiration for me. It has put me in the same category as some of the best wrestlers in the continent and increased expectations of me. I know I have to work hard to build upon the medal and win another in Ghana,” Omumasaba said.
Kenya has yet to win a medal in wrestling at the African Games with Tunisia, Egypt and Nigeria dominating the podium for many years.
However, Omumasaba believes they are not too far behind from wrestling the throne from these continental powers.
“There are young wrestlers who have emerged and are knowledgeable in modern trends of the sport. They have performed well in various events and I am confident there is more to come from them. If they continue the way they have been performing, then we can expect them to win medals,” he said.
Omumasaba is the captain of the four-wrestler team, which will be flying the national flag high in Accra.
It is all systems go for the quartet who Omumasaba says are in peak fitness.
“We have been preparing for the past four months for these games. The mood in the camp is quite hopeful because each one of us has been giving their all in training. They are wrestlers who have won medals for the country in the past and are hungry for more as we head to the African Games,” he said.
Omumasaba will be competing in the Under 87kg Greek-Roman and Under 86kg freestyle categories.
Speaking at the same time, the team’s coach Linus Masheti says the country needs more youth to pick up the sport and grow it to another level.
“The sport has grown and it is no longer domiciled with the disciplined forces as it was in the past. We are on the lookout for promising talents and are going down to the grassroots at the counties to find more wrestlers,” Masheti said.
Masheti further encouraged Kenyans to support the team and to develop more interest in wrestling.
