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German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo was thrilled to have received recognition from German champions Bayer Leverkusen for her exploits at the Paris Olympics.
German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo was among Olympians who were honoured by Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
Ndolo, who became the first Kenyan to represent the country in fencing at the Olympics, joined other Olympians who are members of various sporting clubs at Leverkusen in being feted for representing them well at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“Thank you @bayer04fussball & @tsvbayer04_official for honoring us, the Bayer 04 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, ahead of today‘s game. Always a pleasure to be at BayArena and cheer on the team,” she posted on Instagram after being honoured just before the German champions’ 2-2 draw against Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
At the Olympics, Ndolo narrowly lost 13-12 to Ukraine's Olena Kryvytska in the Round of 32, exiting the Games early having come in with lots of promise.
The 37-year-old is a member of the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen fencing club which has been key to her fencing career, helping her become a household name since she was young.
“It is not just a great soccer club, they also have a fencing division and I have been a member of that club for the last 12 years and that has been a great help because even though I had to leave the German structures behind, I can stay in that club,” Ndolo told NTV in April.
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18:34 - 14.05.2024
Alexandra Ndolo: Why Cologne-based German-born Kenyan fencer supports Bayer Leverkusen
German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo may be living in Cologne but supports newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen due to a number of reasons.
“They were really nice to me and said: ‘You fence for Kenya now but we don’t care as long as you are still part of the Bayer family and I could keep that.”
With financial challenges making her Olympics qualification journey bumpy, Ndolo was grateful that the Leverkusen club did not abandon her when she switched allegiance to Kenya in 2022 since she still has access to world class facilities.
“We have a training group, I have a coach that I do not have to pay because I am a member and he is employed by the club and all these facilities I can use for free,” added Ndolo, who works under coach Hugo Dergal at the club.
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