Soyas 2018: Lionesses On The Hunt To Retain Team Of The Year Crown

5th January 2019

Past winners Telkom hockey and Malkia Strikers volleyball team provide stiff competition to the national rugby sevens side

Kenya Lionesses national rugby sevens women team. PHOTO/File
Kenya Lionesses national rugby sevens women team. PHOTO/File
SUMMARY
  • Nairobi Water handball and Kenya Prisons women’s volleyball teams that made the preliminary top seven did not muster enough votes from the panel of judges to make the final five nominees in the category
  • In another fulfilling year, the national rugby sevens outfit Lionesses defied all odds to win the elusive African title for the first time after beating Uganda 29-7 in the final
  • Hawks had a good 2018 where they were crowned the FIBA Africa Zone Five Club basketball champions for the first time following their 70-54 win over rivals KPA

NAIROBI, Kenya - Holders Kenya Lionesses are on the hunt for a second straight Women’s Team of the Year title at next Friday’s 2018 Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYAs) in Mombasa after making the final short list of five.

Past winners Telkom Hockey and Malkia Strikers national volleyball side are also in the running alongside the basketball duo of Equity Hawks and Kenya Ports Authority clubs.

Nairobi Water handball and Kenya Prisons women’s volleyball teams that made the preliminary top seven did not muster enough votes from the panel of judges to make the final five nominees in the category.

In another fulfilling year, the national rugby sevens outfit Lionesses defied all odds to win the elusive African title for the first time after beating Uganda 29-7 in the final.

At the Hong Kong 7s that served as a qualifier for the HSBC World Sevens Series Core Status, the Kevin Wambua coached side reached the Main Cup semis after losing in sudden death 12-7 to South Africa, an improvement from last year where they reached the quarters.

Perennial rivals

They had topped Pool X with victories over Papua New Guinea, South Africa and Mexico before beating Argentina in the quarters. Their charge to the final fell short at the hands of perennial continental rivals South Africa in the last four of the competition.

At the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Australia, the team finished sixth after losing 40-5 to Fiji in the fifth-place play-off outperforming their more illustrious male counterparts, Shujaa.

Telkom, the 2014 Team of the Year reclaimed the Africa Club Cup title after spanking champions Ghana Revenue Authority 2-0 to win a record 10th continental crown having retained their domestic title unbeaten.

Hawks had a good 2018 where they were crowned the FIBA Africa Zone Five Club basketball champions for the first time following their 70-54 win over rivals KPA. 

They also went ahead to wrestle back the Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League title after once again flooring the Dockers 73-64 in the final.

Archrivals KPA collecyed silver in the FIBA Africa Zone Five Club basketball championship and finished second in the league.

For the Malkia Strikers, they qualified to play at the World Championships in Japan after finishing second at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in Cameroon in October. In Japan, the Kenyans were pooled in a tough group that included Serbia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

They however, made history at the World Championships by getting a first ever win in the global stage after straight sets win over Kazakhstan in the opening match of the World Championships.