ANOCA U17 Youth Games Beach Volleyball – CAVB Zone V in Nairobi, Kenya
Duos from the host nation Kenya picked up both gold medals in beach volleyball at the ANOCA U17 Youth Games in CAVB Zone V at Kenyatta University in Nairobi. Jepkemei Eddah & Ann Akiru triumphed in the women’s competition, with compatriots Josephine Achieng & Esther Vivian Chesoli and South Sudan’s Winnie Adior Kuot (Wol) & Diana Lolik Adam (Atananio) emerging as first and second runners-up. Emmanuel Kipkirui & Reagan Kipchirchir topped the men’s podium, accompanied by silver medalists Reagan Kimbowa & Emmanuel James Oyena of Uganda and bronze medalists Marial Makuer Mabeny & Malual Manut of South Sudan.
Kenya’s Kipkirui & Kipchirchir went through the entire men’s tournament on a winning streak of five consecutive matches, dropping only a set along the way, to claim the zonal ANOCA title. They topped the standings in the round-robin league stage of the competition on a 3-0 win-loss record. The home duo went on to produce a 2-0 (21-14, 21-9) sweep of their semifinal against South Sudan’s Marial & Malual. In the gold medal showdown, Kipkirui & Kipchirchir achieved a 2-0 (21-14, 21-19) victory over Uganda’s Reagan & Oyena.
Reagan & Oyena finished the league round in third place on a 1-2 win-loss record. In the semifinals, they put together their second three-set win over second-placed Askenas Kirkopir & Collins Kpkosgei Rotich of Kenya in a 2-1 (19-21, 21-9, 15-8) turnaround, securing their spot in the final.
The bronze went to Marial & Malual. The South Sudanese pair, who finished the pool phase in fourth place, got back at Askenas & Rotich for the straight-set loss in pool with a 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) shutout in the third-place playoff.
In the three-team women’s tournament, Kenya’s Eddah & Ann did not allow any losses on the way to the zonal title. They beat both of their opponents in the round-robin league stage of the competition and progressed straight to the final. In the deciding battle for the gold, the young Kenyans came back from a set down against compatriots Achieng & Chesoli to celebrate a 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 15-12) victory.
Achieng & Chesoli reached the final after finishing pool runners-up on a 1-1 win-loss record and winning the semifinal match against South Sudan’s Wol & Atananio by 2-1 (21-16, 22-24, 15-13).
The South Sudanese duo finished in third place. They lost all three of their games in Nairobi, but in each one of them, they pushed the opponents to a tie-breaker resolution.
Women’s results and standings
The Games, organized by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), attracted more than 300 athletes from 11 countries competing in seven sports. They also marked the return of the Zone V Youth Games to East Africa after a seven-year hiatus. The next edition is expected in 2028.
