Boxing Africa Qualifier Paris 2024: How Kenya's Christine Ongare turned her life around through boxing: "When you fall you must rise up again"

Almost two decades ago, Kenyan boxer Christine Ongare was in a very rough patch. She had become pregnant at the age of 12.

But she turned her life around through sport and now, the minimum-weight boxer (women's 45kg - 48kg) aims to take part in her second Olympics, by competing at the Boxing Africa Qualifier for Paris 2024 in Dakar, Senegal.

“I keep pushing, knowing how far I have come as a person or a boxer,” the 2018 Commonwealth Games flyweight bronze medallist and Tokyo 2020 Olympian told Olympics.com.

“I have put in the work, trained hard and prepared well for the ultimate."

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How early life struggles fuelled Ongare’s boxing ambitions

Ongare won plenty of fans when she returned home to Nairobi in March 2020 from the Tokyo 2020 Africa Boxing Olympic qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal.

She had become only the second Kenyan female ever boxer to qualify for the Olympics. Ongare outboxed Uganda’s Catherine Nanziri in the women's flyweight (51 kg) category to earn her ticket to Tokyo.

She won plaudits for her speed and grit in and out of the ring.

Her journey has been challenging, becoming a teenage mother, but boxing gave her an outlet and a safe space for her frustrations.

Speaking to the Olympic Channel in 2020, she shared her story.

"Boxing is all I have ... It is said that when you fall you must rise up again.

“I have gone through a tough life, so hard. It's just that I don't like talking about it. I fell pregnant when I was 12 years old. So, my mum took the responsibility of raising my child. I was a small child. It was just peer pressure, to try something and then it ruins you.”

Finding refuge in the ring

In 2012, Ongare earned her first call-up to Kenya’s boxing team for the World Championships in China.

The international experience, and seeing a path to follow when teammate Elizabeth Andiego became the first Kenyan woman to qualify for the Olympics at London 2012, motivated her even further.

“She remains my idol,” Ongare said of the light heavyweight Andiego.

The boxing team, popularly known as ‘Hit Squad’, is Kenya’s most successful discipline at the Commonwealth Games after athletics. This statistic increases the expectation on Onagare's shoulders.

“It’s normal for an athlete to have pressure, but for us there is that, and then the pressure on the team,” said the 2017 Africa bronze medallist who is always all smiles outside the ring.

Ongare has learnt to draw on her faith to overcome performance anxiety.

“My pressure builds up usually on the eve of the tournament, but once I am in the ring, everything disappears. To ease up, I like listening to gospel music and reggae, as most reggae songs are based on bible verses,” she told Olympics.com.

Punching above her weight

The 142cm tall pugilist has also learnt that in order to move forward, she needed to look back to boost her mental toughness.

“There are many times that I have have wanted to give up... But I always remember how far I have come as person and a boxer. I keep working hard knowing that they only way forward for me is up,” said the 2022 Africa zone three silver medallist.

“I always remind myself that my journey has been long and hard. I have to keep going because where I have come from is far more difficult than where I am headed.”

Now 30, the boxer continues on the legacy she hopes to leave: “Again, I can’t come this far to quit. That decision could have a snowball effect…There are so many girls who now look up to me and if I quit, they will also give up on their passions and argue that ‘Christine whom we looked up to also reached a point and gave up’.”

Boxing has helped instil a fighting spirit in the soft-spoken boxer that she hopes can fire her up in the ring. She draws on many experienes for motivation:

"He has never really seen me boxing even on TV, but I know he’s very proud of me. In fact, his current WhatsApp profile picture on his phone is of me fighting in the ring,” said the boxer.

Ongare disappointingly lost her first round match at the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Canada's Priyanka Dhillon. But she has no problem going into the Boxing Africa Qualifiers as an underdog.

“My opponents always underestimate me, especially as a flyweight boxer. I am small-bodied, and they never expected me to be up to the task. I remember at the (Tokyo 2020) Olympic qualifiers, one of my opponent's coach wondered how such a small-bodied boxer could unleash such powerful punches.

“I also learnt a lot about myself as a boxer at the World Championships. I have no big titles to my name, and I am not even known outside the Commonwealth Games. But when I faced a former world finalist (Okhota Hanna of Ukraine), I made her sweat. That’s when I realised, I am at the top of my game,” said Ongare who boxes for Kenya Police in the National League.

"Sometimes I find myself being weighed down and scared off by their high rankings," she continued. "I don’t mind going head-on in the ring and handling each opponent as they come. I like to decide in the ring whether to unleash the fighter or the boxer in me.”

It's one fight at a time, for the boxer whose life challenges have made her more determined to succeed.

"Anyone watching me will obviously see my good speedwork. Even though they may not know mem they will probably know my story and can imagine the Christine before and see Christine the boxer.”