The national Roll Ball team is among five nominees shortlisted for the 2023 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) Sports Team Men, ahead of the annual gala event slated for February 23 in Nairobi County.
The prestigious event that feats best sports achievers, will be marking its 20th
anniversary since its inaugural edition in 2004 .
This is the first time that Roll Ball has been nominated and will have to fend off stiff challenge from Kabras Sugar rugby team, national football under-18 (Junior Stars), Kakamega Homeboyz FC and the national sevens side, Shujaa.
Roll Ball made history after being crowned the world champions for the first time
following their 7-4 win over hosts India in a hotly contested final in Pune.
In the semis, Kenya had routed Latvia 14-1.
Despite arriving late for the tourney, the Kenyan men swept all before it in the group
stages beating Sierra Leone 16-0, Iran 8-2, France 18-0, Ivory Coast 10-2 and Sri Lanka
11-0.
For Shujaa, despite being relegated from the prestigious World Rugby Sevens Series for the first time since they started competing in 2005, Kenya upset favourites South Africa 17-12 to win Africa Sevens title and qualify for 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kenya began the tournament with a 34-10 demolition of Nigeria before thrashing
Namibia 51-0 and concluding their preliminary matches with a 38-12 win over Zambia.
Kakamega Homeboyz on their part ended 2023 with a silverware after edging out
Tusker FC 1-0 to lift their maiden Football Kenya Federation Cup and qualify to
represent Kenya at the CAF Confederation Cup.
Homeboyz also finished second in the FKF Premier League behind record champions
Gor Mahia in the 2022/2023 season, which is their best ever performance.
The Junior Stars will also be seeking to win the gong after
bagging silver in the CECAFA Under-18 finals that they lost 2-1 to Uganda.
On their way to the finals, Kenya won all their Group A matches, beating Sudan 5-0,
Rwanda 1-0, and Somalia 4-1.
The Kabras Rugby team, retained the Kenya Cup after beating
perennial rivals KCB RFC 19-9.
Kabras finished the season unbeaten in 11 matches to top the log with 52 points, went
ahead to beat Kenya Harlequin 22-8 in the semis before giving KCB a similar dose.
Other teams that made it to the initial list before being trimmed are Kenya Ports Authority
basketball and the Kenya Prisons volleyball.
