NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 27 – Two-time Olympian and Team Kenya Boxing skipper Nick Okoth says he has a mission to ‘shut his wife up’ at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom when he steps on to the ring as from Saturday when the preliminary rounds start.
The Kenya Defence Forces pugilist, nicknamed ‘Commander’ says his wife has already told him there is no room for excuses as he heads out to a second successive appearance at the ‘Club Games’.
“When I went home to pick some stuff after we broke camp, my wife told me ‘Nick you have trained well this time don’t try to come with excuses’. I didn’t even know what to tell her. I just laughed. The only way to silence her is to bring a medal home,” Okoth said from Birmingham after holding his first training session.
He added; “I told her it’s okay. Even my kid tried to start a case but I told them it is okay I have heard them. I left knowing that I have a mission ahead of me.”
Okoth couldn’t make it past the first round at the last Games in Gold Coast, Australia, where he lost by unanimous decision in the first round to Michael Alexander of Trinidad and Tobago.
At the Tokyo Olympic Games last year, Okoth narrowly lost 3-2 to Mondolian Erdenebatyn Tsendbaatar in about that he and his coaches left with a bitter taste in their mouths accusing the judges of unfairness.
But this time, as his wife rightly told him, there is no room for excuses.
“I feel really psyched up and ready. I don’t even know where all this motivation has come from but I feel really ready,” Okoth said.
He added; “I have started to focus on my bout since we touched down. I have trained really well and I feel alright. Boxing is not like football where I can pass to a teammate. Here it is all about me. I want to take in the game from the first round and give my all.”
In Birmingham, Kenya is represented by Okoth, Christine Ongare, Shaffi Bakari and Elizabeth Andiego.
