Dj Vnyash
Kenya’s Malkia Strikers began their campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a loss, falling to Brazil 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-13) in their opening match at the South Paris Arena.
Malkia Strikers, the 10-time African champions, faced off against Brazil, who have claimed the South American title 23 times. Despite scoring the first point, the Kenyan team struggled throughout the match as Brazil consistently maintained a significant lead in all three sets.
Under the guidance of head coach Japheth Munala, Kenya will next take on Poland, the two-time Olympic bronze medalists, on Wednesday. They will conclude their Group B matches against Japan, the gold medalists from the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Games, on August 3.
The team was led by captain and middle blocker Trizah Atuka, along with libero Aggripina Kundu, outside hitter Veronica Adhiambo (who plays in Greece), setters Esther Mutinda and Immaculate Nekesa, and opposite hitters Pamela Adhiambo and Julian Namutira. Notably, they played without their favored opposite hitter, Sharon Chumba, who is recovering from a knee injury.
This marks Malkia Strikers’ second consecutive appearance at the Olympic Games, having participated in the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
