100 armature Wrestling athletes from four Counties competed at the just concluded Trans Nzoia National beach wrestling tournament on Saturday at Machungwa Primary and Secondary Schools grounds , Saboti Central in Trans Nzoia County.
Speaking right after the event that was almost disrupted by a heavy downpour, Kenya Armature Wrestling Association ( KAWA) Secretary General ( SG ) Erick Walucho said that following the successful one day tournament, plans are underway for more competitions as there are ongoing talks with sponsors and well-wishers.
” We had athletes from Bungoma, Nairobi, Kiambu and Trans Nzoia here toiling and sweating for pole positions. We also have graded them and took notice of a few promising youngsters who we want to nurture for the 2026 youth Olympics in Dakar,” Walucho said.
Benson Njoroge won the senior men’s 70 kilos category as Stephen Magarisa took silver and Eugine Osale came in for bronze while in the women’s category Yvonne Lusike triumphed, sensational 17 year prodigy Faith Nanjala came in second as Joy Wanjiru settled for a third place bronze medal.
The men’s under 70 kilos saw little known Daniel Wanyonyi carrying the day, newcomers Julius Kilonzi and Kevin Chopeya coming in for silver and bronze respectively.
The junior categories were a thriller as hundreds of fans filled the battle grounds at Machungwa leaving no breathing space, cheering with ululations, song and dance , a motivation that saw home girl Jemimah Wanjala a class seven student win her debut tournament in the under 15 girls category infront of her immediate family members who gathered in awe as Janet Ingwesi came in second with Nancy Riziki settling for a third place bronze medal.
Morgan Simiyu won the Cadets under 60 kilos category, an event that saw his classmate and close friend Brington Tobesi winning the second position as Peter Wekesa completed the podium positions at third place.
The under 14s weighed in at under 55 kilos , a weight category that saw 13 year old Daniel Kegode display an array of techniques to win gold, slightly edging out a more experienced Calvin Nyatuka who’s now completing in his second straight year, but had to settle for silver as Vincent Waweru surprised many winning bronze in a sport that he only took to training three months ago.
KAWA SG Walucho now says that there will be two or three more Championships before the year ends and has also called upon coorporate sponsors, County governments and individual well-wishers to support armature Wrestling with financial resources that will enable competitions.
