In conversation with Bengal Warriors' Kenyan star Felix Odhiambo Opana: "Experience here in India has been absolutely amazing"
The Bengal Warriors reached the playoffs of the Pro Kabaddi League for the first time in their history and finished fourth eventually, losing the semifinal to U Mumba and the third-place playoff to the Puneri Paltan in a nailbiting finish. Despite the defeats, there were smiles all around the Warriors camp at the end of the day as they looked back at what had been a successful Season 3.
Jang-Kun Lee, their South Korean star has been the best raider for the Warriors over the course of the campaign. He scored a total of 79 raid points, more than anybody in his team and far ahead of any other foreign player in the other seven teams as well. Another foreign star in the Warriors ranks is Kenyan rookie Felix Odhiambo Opana, who is participating in the league for the very first time and is having the time of his life in India.
I feel privileged to be a part of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi: Opana
A raider by position, Opana has taken to kabaddi like a fish to water and promises to promote the sport back home in Kenya and take it to a higher scale. He says in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, “The experience here in India has been absolutely amazing. I have learned a lot from my wonderful teammates and am looking forward to Season 4 already!”
Opana was introduced to the sport by fellow compatriot Simon Kibura, who incidentally plays for the Puneri Paltan. He has now been playing the sport actively for one-and-a-half years and has no intentions of stopping. As a former rugby and football player, Opana feels that his skills in these two sports have most certainly helped him pick up kabaddi better and that kabaddi requires largely the same skill set as rugby does.
Talking about his teammates and what goes on off the mat, the Kenyan stated that he found it hard to adjust at first but now he feels he has settled in and shares a great rapport with his fellow Warriors. He said, “It was difficult at first as communication was an issue in the beginning. Now, it is all good as many of my teammates can speak to me in English and I can interact with them as well. I learn from them every day and being able to be around international quality players has given me a great perspective on the sport.”
“My best friend in the team is my roommate Nitin (More). He makes me laugh with his jokes and also teaches me a lot about kabaddi and its intricacies. The morale in the dressing room is really positive and I feel privileged to be a part of it,” says Opana.
He also shed light on the state of the game back home in Kenya. "There is not much of kabaddi going around back home. We have a few clubs and are looking to introduce more and more people to the sport. In the near future, we are also looking to form a national team and compete with other countries across the globe!”