Kenya plots revenge against Senegal at African Youth Games

The Kenya Under-17 beach handball girls’ team has vowed to get one up on their arch-rivals Senegal if the two sides meet in the final of the 2025 African Youth Games in Luanda, Angola on Wednesday.

Kenya lost narrowly to Senegal in their third fixture of the championship on Monday but the Evans Owino-coached charges have vowed to respond emphatically if they secure a rematch with the West Africans in the final.

Senegal prevailed 9-8 in the shootouts after the contest ended 1-1 sets in the regulation time, handing Kenya its first blemish following a high flying start to the competition that is being played in a round robin format.

The West Africans easily cruised to a 14-03 win in the first set before Kenya turned the tables to romp to 18-10 victory in the second set to send the match to the full-distance.

“We started slowly in the first set and when our girls composed themselves we were able to get a win in the second set. Being the first time many of our players are playing on this stage, there was a bit of panic. But we are telling Senegal that we ready for a rematch in the final,” said head coach Evans Owino

Kenya had defeated South Africa and Angola in straight sets in their first two matches while Senegal also made light work of Togo and South Africa, and the two rivals are seen as the favourites to reach the final.

The two sides’ rivalry has enthralled handball in recent years, and Kenya pulled one off against Senegal at the 2025 IHF Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Tunisia, where the two teams made their debuts in the global event.

Captain Neema Chembe says they will go one-size-fits-all when they line up against Senegal on Wednesday.

“They were better than us tactically in the first set and were near perfect in their swings,. We are not downplaying threat posed by the other opponents but we have analysed the matches we've played and Senegal offers the strongest challenge” she said.

Kenya will be seeking to finish top of the pool when they play Togo on Tuesday while Senegal face Angola before the semifinals and final on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s ambassador to Angola Joyce Khasimwa M'maitsi has praised the quality of competition on show for Team Kenya, saying the championship is not just a sporting event—it is a preview of the country’s next generation of global stars.

“The athletes who are doing duty for Kenya here in Luanda are our next stars. They are dedicated, very disciplined and whenever they are stepping on the field they are playing with a sense of patriotism.

“They are primed for greatness and I can confidently say that Kenya’s future in sports is intact. It’s good that we fielded teams for this championship which is a precursor for upcoming events like 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar and 2027 Commonwealth Youth Games,” said Khasimwa, who met the Team Kenya delegation on Monday night at the athletes’ village.

The budding stars have choked up 11 medals —four gold, three silver and four bronze with more action still lined up in the championship that ends on December 20.