Kenya's young rugby sevens squad walked away empty-handed from the Africa Cup tournament. The team battled Zimbabwe for third place on Sunday but came up short. Their dreams of bronze turned to disappointment on the fields of Mauritius. The match slipped through their fingers despite a strong start. Fans watched as another medal chance vanished.
Chrisant Ojwang put points on the board first for the Morans. Dennis Abukuse followed up and doubled their advantage to ten points. Jackson Siketi nailed the conversion kick perfectly. Louis Kisia's boys looked unstoppable early on. Everything seemed to fall into place for Kenya.
Zimbabwe fought back hard after halftime and scored their first points. Abukuse responded quickly and stretched Kenya's lead again. The visitors kept pushing forward and found the middle of the posts for seven points. Pressure mounted as the game clock ticked away. Kenya's defense started showing cracks.
The Zimbabweans struck again with another converted try to snatch victory. Kenya's players could only watch as their opponents celebrated wildly. The bronze medal belonged to Zimbabwe after a thrilling comeback. Many supporters felt stunned by the final outcome. Kenya had looked like winners until the very end.
Earlier results made this loss even harder to swallow. Madagascar had beaten Kenya 14-12 in the semifinals. That upset shocked everyone who had followed Kenya's impressive tournament run. The team had played brilliantly throughout most of the competition. Fourth place felt like a cruel reward for such effort.
Chrisant Ojwang put points on the board first for the Morans. Dennis Abukuse followed up and doubled their advantage to ten points. Jackson Siketi nailed the conversion kick perfectly. Louis Kisia's boys looked unstoppable early on. Everything seemed to fall into place for Kenya.
Zimbabwe fought back hard after halftime and scored their first points. Abukuse responded quickly and stretched Kenya's lead again. The visitors kept pushing forward and found the middle of the posts for seven points. Pressure mounted as the game clock ticked away. Kenya's defense started showing cracks.
The Zimbabweans struck again with another converted try to snatch victory. Kenya's players could only watch as their opponents celebrated wildly. The bronze medal belonged to Zimbabwe after a thrilling comeback. Many supporters felt stunned by the final outcome. Kenya had looked like winners until the very end.
Earlier results made this loss even harder to swallow. Madagascar had beaten Kenya 14-12 in the semifinals. That upset shocked everyone who had followed Kenya's impressive tournament run. The team had played brilliantly throughout most of the competition. Fourth place felt like a cruel reward for such effort.
