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By Ben Ochieng
NAIROBI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan qualifier for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Rayton Okwiri, is determined to emulate the 1988 Seoul Olympics gold medalist Robert Wangila by accomplishing a similar act during this year' s quadrennial games.
Wangila, who to-date remains the only Olympics gold medalist Africa has produced in boxing, made history after he shattered his seasoned French opponent to win the gold medal in the welterweight category.
He turned professional soon after his Seoul Olympics exploits.
The AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) pugilist is the only boxer Kenya will send to the games after he qualified for the global event during the recently concluded Africa Olympic Games qualifier held in Yaounde, Cameroon after he defeated Walid Sedik of Egypt in the welterweight category.
"It is quite unfortunate that we had a strong team in Yaounde but achieved only one qualification. I have always aspired to feature at the Olympic Games but I have failed in the past despite years of trying and I am glad the opportunity has presented itself when my career appears to be at the peak," the 30-year-old Okwiri told Xinhua.
The East African nation fielded a team of 10 men and three women but it is only Okwiri who managed to secure a direct slot to the Olympics.
Top boxers including bantamweight Benson Gicharu and middleweight Nick Abaka, who also ply their trade in APB ranks, failed to make it to Rio Games and so were two All Africa Games bronze medalists Nick Okoth (middleweight) and Elly Ajowi (heavyweight).
Okwiri honed his boxing skills at the coastal city of Mombasa prior to joining 1999 national league champions, Kenya Prisons.
Wangila' s brilliant professional boxing career ended tragically after he started vomiting blood and collapsed in the changing room after losing a fight against David Gonzalez in a scheduled 10 round welterweight match on July 22, 1994. Enditem
