Mungai close to Rio ticket as Gicharu crashes out

Lightweight Peter Mungai is a breath away from punching his Rio Olympics ticket as London 2012 Olympian and two-time Commonwealth medallist, Benson Gicharu and Simon Mulinge crashed out at the preliminary stage of the final Africa Rio 2016 qualifiers in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

It was not all gloom for Kenya’s Hit Squad as Kenya Police boxer Mungai beat Ghana’s Suleiman Tetteh to make the last four where he needs to finish among the top three in his division to qualify for the Summer Games.

Gicharu who turned pro after winning the 2010 silver and 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze lost his preliminary round bout to Emmanuel Ngoma from Zambia, ending his dream of a second Olympics appearance in similar fashion to his first round exit at last year’s All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville.

The 30 year-old was Kenya’s sole male boxer at the London Olympics where he lost his first bout to Egypt’s Hesham Abdelaal with the bantamweight pugilist now returning to the AIBA Pro Boxing ranks where he has a chance of racking up a slot against fighters plying their trade in the World Series of Boxing.

Mulinge, who beat Immanuel Shapaka in the round of 32 at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games before bowing out in the round of 16, also saw his Rio Olympics dream kiss the canvas at the opening phase after losing to
Oyajoko Muyideen of Nigeria.

Earlier veteran Nick Okoth won his lightweight preliminary bout against a boxer from Cameron to proceed to the next stage.

Okoth represented Kenya at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and is hoping to claim his second career slot in Rio with Elly Ajowi winning his first round fight against Christian Ndze Tsoye from Cameroon.

The Hit Squad of 13 boxers- ten male and three female- travelled to Cameroon after a build-up dominated by the row between Boxing Association of Kenya (BAK) and the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture over cash.

Speaking to Citizen on Monday morning, BAK Chairman, James Kameta, exuded confidence at least fighters would make the Olympics.

“Although Gicharu is out of the game but I’m still hoping these other boxers can do it, it is not a specific boxer you are sure of. Gicharu’s loss has given us that direction because we were expecting him to win.

“Ajowi has done very well, I expect him all the way and by the weekend we will be talking of more qualifiers,” Kameta stated.

For the women’s Teresiah Wanjiru was floored by Lachgar Hassah of Morocco for a technical knock out in the first round

The three female boxers in the team, Christine Ongare (fly), Teresia Wanjiru (light), Elizabeth Akinyi (middle) have a difficult task of securing an Olympics ticket since only one fighter from each division will make Rio.