Yvonne Wavinya

Yvonne Wavinya
Personal information
NationalityKenyan
Born (1996-02-22) 22 February 1996 (age 28)
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Spike280 cm (110 in)
Block230 cm (91 in)
Volleyball information
PositionWing Spiker
Current clubKenya Pipeline
National team
Kenya Kenya

Yvonne Wavinga (born 1996) is a Kenyan volleyball player who plays for Kenya Prisons. She has played for Kenya's U23's and helped qualify Kenya women's national volleyball team for the beach volleyball tournament at the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, having never participated previously.

Life

Wavinya was born in 1996 in Makueni.[1]

She was in Kenya's national under 23 team in 2017[1] where she helped them win despite having an injured finger.[2]

Wavinga was in the team that gained Kenya qualification for the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics with Brackcides Agala, Phosca Kasisi and Gaudencia Makokha They qualified when they won at the African Continental Cup Finals in Morocco in 2021.[3] She and Kasisi beat the Nigerian pair of Tochukwu Nnoruga and Albertina Francis 2-0 while Agala and Makokha beat Francisca ‘Franco’ Ikhiede and Amara Uchechukwu 2–1.[3]

Kenya's beach volleyballers were in the four Continental Cup winners with Argentina, Cuba and China (who had already gained Olympic qualification). Kenya has never had a beach volleyball team at the Olympics.[3] The team, chosen by the coach Sammy Mulinge,[4] was drawn into pool D with Brazil, the United States and Latvia at the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. However, Wavinya was not selected as part of Kenya's two-person beach volleyball pair,[5] which was Gaudencia Makokha and Brackcidise Agala.[6]

Wavinya's partner was Phosca Kasisi. However in 2023 she formed a new partnership with the Olympian Gaudencia Makokha.[6]

Clubs

References

  1. ^ a b "Player - Yvonne Wavinya Kiitha - FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship 2017". u23.women.2017.volleyball.fivb.com. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  2. ^ PLC, Standard Group. "yvonne wavinya". The Standard. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  3. ^ a b c volleyballworld.com. "Argentina, China, Cuba and Kenya take Olympic berths". volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  4. ^ "Mulinge names beach volleyball squads for Olympic qualifiers". Citizentv.co.ke. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  5. ^ "Kenyan volleyball team departs for Tokyo Olympics - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. ^ a b "Makokha hopes to go one better in Accra with new partner Wavinya". Nation. 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-09-23.