Kenya Sevens icon Billy ‘the Kid’ Odhiambo opens up on reason to retire at 30

RUGBY Kenya Sevens icon Billy ‘the Kid’ Odhiambo opens up on reason to retire at 30

Mark Kinyanjui 14:55 - 18.11.2023

The former Mwamba full-back has revealed that opting to retire was not influenced by their relegation from the World Series.

Kenya Sevens icon Billy ‘the Kid’ Odhiambo has finally revealed the real reason he decided to retire after over a decade in the game.

Speaking to Sport On, Odhiambo revealed the reason he decided to call time on his international career after years of playing at the highest level since debuting in South Africa in 2012 right after he had completed his high school studies at Maseno School.

The 30-year-old has revealed that the reason to retire was purely because of physical reasons, as he felt that his body was starting to let him down.

“It is something that I have been thinking about for some time now,” Odhiambo said.

“You know, as you play, I think I started playing very early and I felt like I had been (focusing on) one thing for a really long time.

“There is also the factor of the body, the things the body could do still can do but not as much as before. I agree there is still some gas but I feel like it is the right time for me.”

Odhiambo has revealed that he did not just wake up and decided to retire, but he felt like it was the right time for the younger blood to come in and try and help take the team back to the heights of challenging at the highest level.

“It was a culmination of many things. It was not like I just woke up and said I do not want to play anymore. It was just listening to the body, for example, warmups. Getting the body up and running was more difficult as the years went by.

“Before, it did not take much to get ready for a game. As years go by, you find that you were affected by things like injuries and stuff, so you had to focus on certain areas when preparing which made it difficult.”

Meanwhile, the former Mwamba full back has revealed that opting to retire was not influenced by their relegation from the World Series, as he was part of the team that suffered that fate.

“The relegation was tough. It was tough to take in. Processing it was tough, but I do not think it was a reason contributing to my decision ‘cause I would love to see Kenya part of the series and be part of that.

“When beginning to play, we were a core team, so it would only be good if I was part of taking the team back to our core status, but relegation was not part of the reason I decided to retire.”

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