Kenya's U-17 wrestlers win bronze in Alexandria as U-20 also flourish

Kenya’s Under-17 wrestling national team (Cadets) finished third at the ongoing Africa Wrestling Championships in Alexandria, Egypt, behind hosts Egypt and Tunisia. The event is being held at the Borg El Arab Indoor Hall.

Kenya’s team secured a gold, a silver, and four bronze medals in the women’s U-17 category, a performance Kenya Amateur Wrestling Association (KAWA) Secretary General Erick Walucho described as a step in the right direction, with focus now shifting to qualification for the Dakar Youth Olympic Games in September.

“I think with these youngsters, we have the best in the tournament. Apart from a few technicalities here and there, our goal remains qualifying more youngsters to Dakar,” Walucho told Radio Generation on Thursday.

In the U-17 women’s 69kg category, Janet Ingwesi had a dominant run. She defeated Egypt’s Dai Abdelsalaam 6-2 in round one, overpowered Pamela Lisette Namdenganana of the Central African Republic 10-0 in round two, and edged South Africa’s Dun Van Zyl 11-9 in round three to secure a gold medal for Kenya.

In the men’s category, Dan Kegode won bronze in the 60kg class. After losing 12-0 to Tunisia’s Aden Rhimi in the quarterfinals, he recovered to beat Angola’s David Kanyimbu Mputo 8-2 in the bronze medal match.

On Wednesday, Faith Wamalwa (U-20, 68kg) competed in the freestyle category. She defeated South Africa’s Jessica Ogechukwu Eagar 10-4, but lost 8-0 to Egypt’s Sabah Eid Gomaa and 5-0 to Angola’s Joseth Sasa Mavungu, missing out on a podium finish.

In the U-20 women’s 65kg category on Thursday, Dyvonter Ashley Odongo began with a 10-0 win over South Africa’s Jessica Ann, before drawing 0-0 with Egypt’s Mouda Badawi in the final round. Odongo settled for silver, with Badawi taking gold.

With the junior events concluded, the senior competition begins on Friday and runs until May 2, 2026, followed by beach wrestling events on May 3–4, where Kenya’s athletes are also expected to feature.