Kenya beach volleyball player Veronica Adhiambo/ HANDOUTOwino said the lessons learned from the recently concluded CAVB Continental Beach Cup Zone Five qualifiers in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania, highlighted the importance of consistent competition and structured preparation for both the men’s and women’s teams.
Both Kenyan sides finished second at the five-day competition held at Sawa Sawa Beach to progress to the next phase of the continental qualifiers, keeping alive hopes of a historic first Olympic appearance for the men and a return for the women after their debut at the Paris 2024 Games.
The tactician noted that the performance in Tanzania had exposed his relatively inexperienced squad to the demands of elite competition and underlined the need for more high-level matches ahead of the next qualification phase expected between August and November. “Our squad is good, but the core of the players are inexperienced in beach volleyball.
The two-week training camp before heading out to Tanzania came in handy because it helped us prepare the team to the best of our ability, and that’s what we will need more of as the continental competition approaches,” said Owino.
He revealed that the technical bench has already begun planning for more regional tournaments and extended training camps to improve the players’ adaptability in high-pressure matches.
“We are looking to register the teams for an upcoming regional meeting set for Burundi in July and one more tournament, yet to be agreed on, just before the championship. The dates for the African competition are yet to be confirmed, but we will begin our preparations early regardless,” he added.
