This archive report was first published on 13 November 2019.
On November 11, 2019, Kenya's national roller skating team arrived back in Nairobi, exhausted but triumphant, after a 10-day competition at the inaugural African Roller Games in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite being a lean team of four skaters, Teddy Andanje, Tyrone Jowi, Ishmael Imani, and Jeff Mungai, they managed to overcome financial and logistical challenges to finish third in the competition, with a total of 13 medals.
Team manager Naomi Wambui attributed their success to the very challenges they faced, saying, “The sacrifices we made to get to Kinshasa had to count for something. Yes, it was really tough for us, but, in the end, the many challenges we faced boosted the team’s morale.”
Team captain Andanje, who won six medals, including two gold, three silver, and one bronze, credited the team's success to their decision to work together, saying, “We decided to work as a team. We were really crushed after winning just one medal on the first day. But that evening we sat down and decided to make something good out of a very bad situation.”
Fourteen-year-old Mungai, who won a gold medal in the junior men’s 10-kilometre contest, said he was thrilled with his performance, saying, “I had prepared well for this tournament, which was my second major outing. I was assured of a win.”
