Kenya Lionesses missed out on Olympics qualification after falling in the final hurdle after a near perfect weekend in Monaco.

The Lionesses lost 24-7 to China 7s team in the World Rugby Sevens Repechage final played at the Stade Louis II stadium in Monaco on Sunday evening.

After putting on a monstrous shift throughout the weekend where they beat Samoa, and Argentina twice to secure their semi-final slot, the Lionesses dug deep in the semi-final against Czech Republic to secure a 12-10 victory and qualify for the final.  

They however came short in the final as China proved to be too sleek and precise with their passes that time and again unlocked the Kenyan defense.

Menengai Oilers head coach Gibson Weru says having to dig deep in the majority of the matches, meant Kenya arrived in the final with low energy levels.

“If you look at every game in that tournament, it was a matter of winning and making sure we got to the finals. If you look at the way we got into the finals, we had to dig very deep in almost every match. The game against Argentina was a tough one and I think it drained us a lot. But the girls did very well, extremely well throughout the season. They have been very consistent and I must congratulate them and the technical bench for work well done,” noted Weru.

Weru says while it is heart-breaking to narrowly miss out on the Olympics qualification, the team has grown in leaps and bounds in the last one year.

“I know it’s a bit disappointing not to be in that third consecutive Olympic, but I think there are a lot of good things happening on the side, a lot of players who have been exposed to a higher level. I believe next year will be a good year for them, as long they keep on working hard and I’m sure the technical bench has a plan on how they will continue developing the team, said Weru.

Weru, a former Kenyan international, says the near misses the team has experienced in the last few months will only strengthen their will to put in the hard yards to get to the next level.

“I think it’s a matter of believing that we are on the right track because we are falling short by just the last hurdle. Most of the teams that are dominating now, if you look at Argentina in the men’s tournament, they lost the series but they kept on learning and kept on believing in themselves and they won the series this year for the first time,” said Weru.

“So, I think our girls are doing a very good job. It's only that we are very unfortunate and that boils down to experience. We are not as experienced as most of the sides and you can’t fast track that part of the game,” he added.  

China grabbed the final ticket in the women’s category to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as South Africa’s Blitzboks beat Great Britain 14-5 to punch their ticket to the Summer Games.

South Africa had to go the Repechage route after failing to secure qualification during the Africa 7s cup, where they lost 17-12 to Kenya’s Shujaa in the cup final.

South Africa have been placed in Pool A alongside New Zealand, Ireland and Japan, with Kenya’s Shujaa in Pool B alongside Argentina, Australia and Samoa. Pool C has Olympic defending champions Fiji, France, USA and Uruguay.

In the women’s category, African champions South Africa are in Pool B alongside Great Britain, Ireland and Australia, with Olympics defending champions New Zealand headlining Pool A together with Fiji, Canada and China.

Group C has France, USA, Japan and Brazil.