Kenya 1 beach volleyball team in action/ ANOCAChasala strengthened his case for a place in Kenya’s team to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after winning the men’s 200m in 22.43 seconds. Uganda’s Muhwezi Abraham Lincoln was second in 22.66, while South Sudan’s Faisal Alafi Lino took bronze in 22.98.
The victory was a strong response from Chasala, who missed selection for the World Junior Championships in Oregon early this month.
“I did not make it to Oregon. I took that as a challenge and went back to training. I’m happy for my results,” he said.
He now hopes to earn a place on the team to Dakar.
“I hope I’ve made it to the team that will be traveling to Senegal. I will carry the flag with pride,” Chasala added.
Chepkwech added another athletics gold by winning the men’s 1,500m in 3:46.81. The Oregon World Youth champion, who holds a personal best of 3:37.46, had only two weeks to prepare for the Games but maintained his winning form.
“I’ve trained well. I want to add on that and achieve a record time. I am well physically and I’ll work on my speed work to achieve that,” he said.
“I am always motivated to win.”
Winnie Jepchumba and Cecilia Njeri added silver medals in the women’s 800m and 5,000m race walk respectively. Jepchumba clocked 2:09.11 behind Ethiopia’s Nesanet Selmon (2:07.01), while Njeri timed 27:56.46 behind Ethiopia’s Nuredin Juhar (27:18.41).
Kenya’s strongest medal haul came in judo, where the hosts topped the standings with five gold, three silver and one bronze.
Rael Kulova, Haron Benson, Kelvin Onganya, John Ouko and Abuta Vincent won gold. Kulova’s victory in the women’s under-52kg category was particularly significant after she moved up from under-48kg to prepare for the Youth Olympics.
Coach Peterson Mbugua said the competition was an important platform for assessing potential Youth Olympic representatives and expressed confidence that Kenya could win medals in Dakar.
Swimming has also been a major source of success, with Kenya collecting six gold and six silver medals for 12 medals. Team captain Yannick Muigai described the competition as an important learning experience and praised the team’s efforts, particularly in the relays.
Kenya’s girls also remained on course for the 3x3 basketball title after Kenya 2 beat Uganda 21-7 in the second-round final. Brenda Akinyi led with 13 points, while Chelsea Onamu added five.
Akinyi said the team had improved after using the opening round to study their opponents.
“We have raised our levels since Tuesday, because we have been able to assess how our opponents play and that has helped us improve every aspect of our game,” she said.
In boys’ 3x3, Kenya 1 lost 21-17 to South Sudan in the final, while Kenya 2 beat Uganda 2-0 (21-16, 26-24) in boys’ beach volleyball.
Kenya continued to dominate the boys’ singles in tennis, with Samuel Okello beating Edward Mwakio 6-1, 6-2. Mwakio, Kelly Don, Jyan Patel and Mark Murage also registered convincing victories, with Murage and Patel winning their matches 6-0, 6-0.
In cycling, Franklin Kibet won silver in the men’s 20km individual time trial in 29:18, with Mevin Njuguna fourth, Geoffrey Chege Mburu fifth and Victor Ngugi Githae sixth.
Mercy Eragae added bronze in the women’s 10km time trial in 16:19, while Sharon Cheruiyot, Naomi Jeptanui and Linda Ochola finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.
ANOCA Games Local Organising Committee chairperson Angela Luchivya said Kenya’s Day Two performances had strengthened the country’s medal prospects while giving young athletes an opportunity to stake their claim for international selection.
With five gold medals in judo, 12 swimming medals, athletics gold through Chasala and Chepkwech, and podium finishes in race walking and cycling, Kenya continued to underline its strength as the ANOCA Zone Five Games entered the crucial stages.
