Sharon Chepchumba returned a best score of 18 points against Japan as Kenya opened her 2021 Olympics games quest with a loss against hosts Japan.

Malkia Strikers may have lost by three straight sets of 25-15, 25-11 and 25-23 but there were many positives from the game, the Kenyans leading at some point in the third set by 22-21 before narrowly to the nervous hosts.

In the defining set, Chepchumba notched 11 points for the Kenyans who will now head to the next game hoping to correct their mistakes which cost them the game.

Earlier, Team Kenya’s boxing squad member Christine crashed out of the Games after she lost her flyweight bout to Irish Mango of the Philippines. She became the second hit squad member to bow out of the Games after Nick Okoth who had lost narrowly to his opponent on Saturday.