Striker Marion Serenge was honored as the LG/SJAK Sports Personality of the Month (SPOM) for June 2024, in recognition of her stellar performance during the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers. Her pivotal role in the decisive two-leg match against Burundi helped the Junior Starlets achieve a historic milestone by becoming the first Kenyan national football team to qualify for a World Cup. This earned them a spot in the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place in the Dominican Republic in October.##NAJAVA_MECA_8215805##The Junior Starlets kicked off their campaign at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Ethiopia, securing a 3-0 victory over Burundi in the first leg on June 9, 2024. Lorna Faith opened the scoring at the 11-minute mark, followed by Serenge’s goal in the 43rd minute, and a final goal by substitute Susan Okoth in the 71st minute. In the second leg at the Ulinzi Sports Complex on June 16, Serenge scored the opening goal after 17 minutes, with Valerie Nekesa adding another, resulting in a 5-0 aggregate win and securing their World Cup berth.At the award ceremony held at Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday, July 16, LG’s Managing Director for East Africa, Dongwon Lee, expressed his confidence that this recognition would inspire Serenge to continue making history for Kenya on the international stage.“Serenge has truly shined for Kenya, and as one of the youngest recipients of this award, we are confident that this will motivate her to strive even harder as she and her team represent our country globally,” he remarked.Dates for CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Zone qualifiers revealedSerenge, a student at Archbishop Njenga Girls High School, faced tough competition for the award. The nominees included African champion Alexandra Ndolo, recognized for her performance at the Africa Fencing Championships in Casablanca, Morocco, where she triumphed over Camillia El Kord in the senior women’s epee division. Other contenders were Junior Starlets teammates Velma Abwire and Captain Elizabeth Ochaka.Expressing her excitement, Serenge said, “I believe I am on the right path to achieving my dreams. It is every footballer’s dream to play in the World Cup. As a team, we were driven by the fact that no Kenyan football team had ever qualified for the FIFA World Cup. This is a crucial opportunity, and I am hopeful that scouts from top clubs around the world will notice us in the Dominican Republic. We gave it our all, and now it’s time to showcase Kenyan football to the world.”Kakamega Homeboyz launch hunt for new assistant coachOther nominees included National Rugby Sevens team captain Vincent Onyala, who scored a try in every match at the Grand Final in Madrid, Spain, helping Kenya advance to the World Rugby Sevens Series and qualify for the Paris Olympics. His teammate Kevin Wekesa of Kabras Sugar Rugby Club also impressed the panel.In athletics, World Championships 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Emmanuel Too were nominated, with Wanyonyi achieving a personal best of 1:41.70 and Too winning a rare decathlon bronze medal at the Africa Championships in Cameroon. Dennis Esokon of Kenya Prisons and Juliana Namutira of KCB, who contributed to their teams’ National Volleyball League titles, also caught the panel’s attention.Other notable nominees included Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla, Kenya Police goalkeeper Patrick Matasi, Posta Rangers forward Patrick Otieno, Zeddy Cheruiyot (Judo), Sarah Wasike (Ulinzi Handball), Jadon Simiyu (Chess U12 African Champion), and Faith Adhiambo (Korean Ambassador’s Taekwondo Cup gold winner in Kyorugi in the senior women U46kg category).Official: Ulinzi Stars coach Kimani departs club
