WU20: Youngster Akisa doesnt regret ditching football for shot put

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics having come to a dramatic end Sunday with Team Kenya bagging 10 medals, for Kenya it’s the start of another arduous task – one towards the World Under 20 Championships which will take place in Nairobi Kenya from August 17-25.

As such, organisers are leaving nothing to chance while Kenyan youngsters are also bullishly gearing up for the global showpiece.

Once such athlete is Maureen Akisa who will be representing the county in shot put.

Initially, Akisa was a footballer, starting out as a defender for Ulinzi Starlets, based at Kahawa Barracks, Nairobi but opted for shot put.

And the call is paying rewards as she counts days to representing Kenya at the world stage.

The 19-year-old will be Kenya’s sole representative in the women’s shot in the Championships scheduled for August 17-22.

“I have a passion for both sports, but my heart is in short put. I feel I can go far with the sport. I would like to make it one day to the podium,” said the 19-year-old Akisa who hails from Busia County told Citizen Digital.

At the same time Kenya’s representative in the men’s shot put, Dominic Kiprotich, started competing in the discipline back in 2015 while in primary school.

“My friend Nelson Yego challenged me to venture into the sports world. At first, I tried out javelin but my body did not respond to it. That’s when I made a decision to try out shot put. In shot put, I went up to regional level. I did not advance very far because I lacked equipment and a coach. Right now, my main focus is to work on the release and throw techniques,” said the 17-year-old student from Kiberes Mixed Secondary School.

The two are hoping to carry Kenya’s flag high during the five-day event that will be hosted at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi.