Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo, the nation’s first Olympic representative in the sport, was narrowly eliminated by Ukraine’s Kryvytska in Paris.
Kenyan Fencer Alexandra Ndolo bowed out of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in a dramatic and heart-wrenching fashion, losing by a razor-thin margin of one point to Ukraine’s Kryvytska in the round of 32.
The intense bout ended 12-13, marking a premature end to Ndolo’s hopeful journey towards securing Kenya’s first-ever Olympic medal in fencing.
German-born fencer Alexandra Ndolo is bullish about her chances of winning an Olympics medal as she represents Kenya in the rare sport.
Ndolo, who had been given a bye in the round of 64, entered the round of 32 with high hopes and determination.
The closely contested match saw each fencer exchanging point for point, demonstrating their exceptional skills and tenacity.
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Alexandra Ndolo has expressed excitement following her recent achievement at the African Championships.
Ultimately, it was Kryvytska who edged out Ndolo in a nail-biting finish.
“I lost by one touch. I gave my best because sudden death can go either way. I wish it could have gone longer since I was determined to give Kenya a medal, but I am sorry it did not go my way,” said Ndolo as per Capital Sport
Kryvytska, a silver medalist at the World Championships, matched Ndolo point for point in a gripping display of athleticism and strategy.
“The level of competition here is very high. She won silver at the world championships, I won silver as well, so it was anyone’s game,” Ndolo added.
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Alexander Ndolo has admitted to ‘miscommunication’ with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) after she accused them of failing her in 2023.
As the first Kenyan fencer to compete at the Olympics, Ndolo’s journey to Paris 2024 was already a historic achievement.
Her participation marked a significant milestone for Kenyan sports, bringing attention to a discipline that has been relatively underrepresented in Africa.
Prior to competing for Kenya, Ndolo had secured a silver medal at the 2022 World Fencing Championships while representing Germany.
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Fencer Alexandra Ndolo has described the sacrifices her mother had to make to ensure she made history by qualifying for the Olympics after inadequate support from Kenyan federation.
Africa has seen only two Olympic fencing medals, with Egypt’s Alaaeldin Abouelkassem winning silver in the men’s individual foil in 2012 and Tunisia’s Ines Boubakri securing bronze in the women’s foil four years later.
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