Shujaa target glory at Tokyo Olympics to right past wrongs and make history

To be prepared is half the victory...

Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes may not have had the Kenya Sevens' team in mind when he coined this expression but it virtually sums up Shujaa and the situation that confronts them as they prepare for their second appearance at the Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan in July. 

Bar athletics, Shujaa have been one of the country's main source of pride in the last decade or so. 

Following years of inconsistency in the World Sevens Series, Shujaa bagged their first-ever Main Cup tournament title in 2016 when they beat highly fancied Fiji 30-7 at the Singapore Sevens. 

The win in the city-state was the culmination of two near-misses in the circuit; first going down 26-7 in 2009  to South Africa in Adelaide, Australia and losing 19-14 in sudden death to  England in Wellington in 2013. 

The boys also reached the semifinals of the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in Dubai and 2013 in Moscow in its best-ever performance in this tourney.

In the 2017 -2018 season, under current coach Innocent Simiyu, they attained an incredible  104 points — their highest-ever point tally and the first time they had broken the century barrier. 

For all the achievements and accolades, however, the team has also faltered when it mattered the most. 

Prominent events, which come to mind include the 2016 Rio Olympics, 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia where Shujaa recorded dismal outcomes. 

As the countdown to Tokyo continues, the boys are determined to right these wrongs and upset the odds by squeezing into the medal bracket despite the presence of many giants. 

Such feat would cement their place in Kenya's sporting history books as the first team sport since the country's independence to win a medal at the quadrennial extravaganza.