KENYA RUGBY 7S STAR GRACE ADHIAMBO OKULU: ‘RUGBY HAS GIVEN ME A SECOND CHANCE IN LIFE, A NAME, AND EDUCATION’
KENYA RUGBY 7S STAR GRACE ADHIAMBO OKULU: ‘RUGBY HAS GIVEN ME A SECOND CHANCE IN LIFE, A NAME, AND EDUCATION’
The fly-half inspired Kenya’s women rugby 7s team to qualification for the Olympics at Tokyo 2020.
Grace Adhiambo Okulu is living her dream as a rugby player.
The Kenyan star is one of the fastest rising players in her team, yet she only stumbled into the game while playing football in primary school.
Pleased to be able to study and play, Okulu enthusiastically grabbed the chance but it was not without a fight.
Her mother backed her as a footballer but was petrified at the thought of her daughter playing a contact sport.
It meant training in secret for the then 12-year-old.
“I used to say I am going to football training, but I was training for rugby. One day I got a wrist injury and I couldn’t do the dishes, and that’s when she discovered I was [playing] ‘tough’ sport.”
Okulu has enjoyed a challenging rise to prominence since her debut for Kenya at only 17.
She is now a key member of the team commonly known as the Kenya Lioness and played a crucial role in their qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The ‘tough’ sport has given her comfort and a second chance in life.
“Rugby has given me a name… Rugby has given me a good life, and an education,” she told the Olympic Channel from Nakuru, Kenya’s fourth-largest city.READ MORE
Source: https://www.olympicchannel.com/
