Nairobi: Kenya made a positive start at the 2026 Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) Zone Five Youth Games after recording impressive results in 3€”3 basketball, beach volleyball, and lawn tennis at Kenyatta University on Tuesday.
According to Kenya News Agency, in 3€”3 basketball, Kenyan teams performed strongly in both the boys’ and girls’ categories, which are being played in a round-robin format. The Kenya 2 girls’ team recorded three wins to underline its title ambitions, opening with a 19-10 victory over Kenya 1 before defeating Ethiopia 19-2 and South Sudan 17-9. Coach Eunice Ouma expressed satisfaction with the performance but advised her players to remain vigilant as they aim for the title.
Kenya 1 also enjoyed a strong outing, beating Ethiopia 21-2 and 19-2 to keep their title hopes alive. The second round is scheduled for Wednesday, with the third round on Thursday, and the team accumulating the most points will be declared champions. In the boys’ category, Kenya 1 recorded two victories, defeating South Sudan 12-8 and Kenya 2 with a score of 21-10.
In beach volleyball, Kenya 2 girls overcame South Sudan 2-1 (21-16, 22-24, 15-13) in a closely contested match, highlighting their title intentions. The Kenyan pair of Josephine Achieng and Esther Chesori, from St Cecilia Aluor Girls Secondary School, dominated the opening set, winning 21-16 in 18 minutes. Despite a comeback from the South Sudanese pair, the Kenyan duo clinched the tie-break 15-13. Chesori praised her partner and attributed their success to effective service and recovery.
Kenya 2 boys, however, were defeated 2-1 by Uganda (17-21, 22-24, 15-11). In lawn tennis, Kenyan players also shone, with Mark Murage advancing to the third round in the boys’ section. Murage began strongly, defeating Tanzania’s Damiano Hamis Rungu 6-4, 7-5, and cruising past Somalia’s Abdallah Mohammed 6-0, 6-0 in the second round. Don Kellu also advanced after a 6-2, 6-0 win over Asad Ibrahim Ibrahim.
Nancy Kawira was the sole Kenyan to progress to the fourth round in the girls’ section, maintaining an impressive record across her opening three matches.
