‘Hit Squad’ picks valuable lessons from Bangkok despite Olympics tickets flop

Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa says his boxers picked valuable lessons from their unsuccessful hunt for 2024 Paris Olympic Games slots, during the second World Olympic qualifiers that was held in Bangkok, Thailand.

“We are disappointed that none of our six boxers managed to secure an Olympic Games ticket in our final attempt in Bangkok but all is not lost. We have had experienced boxers like Benson Gicharu, Peter Mungai, Nick Okoth and Elly Ajowi who represented us well but after they left, we now have boxers who still don't have enough experience,” said Musa.

Hit Squad sent six boxers to Bangkok in a final effort to earn slots to the Olympic Games, following two previous unsuccessful bids at the Africa Olympic qualifiers and the first World Olympic qualifiers in Senegal and Italy respectively.

The Kenyan boxing team will miss the quadrennial global games for the first time in six decades, after Peter Abuti , captain Boniface Mogunde, Edwin Okong’o, Amina Martha, Elizabeth Andiego and Friza Anyango crashed out in the preliminary rounds at Bangkok’s Indoor Haumark Stadium.

Hit Squad has never won an Olympic boxing medal since 1988, when Robert Napunyi Wangila (welterweight) and Chris Sande (middleweight) won gold and bronze medals respectively at the Seoul Olympics.