This archive report was first published on 23 August 2021.
Kenya's Paralympic Team Set for Tokyo Games ¶
On August 24, 2021, the Paralympic flame was lit in Tokyo, marking the start of the 13-day Tokyo Paralympic Games. The games, which feature 539 events across 21 venues, will attract 183 National Paralympic Committees.
Team Kenya athletes, including powerlifter Hellen Waweru Kariuki and rower Asiya Sururu Mohamed, have started arriving in Tokyo. Kariuki, who has spina bifida, will open Kenya's action on Thursday at the Tokyo International Forum, competing in the 41-kilometre category.
Asiya, who lost her legs and fingers in a train accident at the age of two, will compete in the PR1 Single Sculls rowing competition on Friday. The competition features rowers with minimal or no trunk function who primarily propel the boat through arm and shoulder function.
Kenya's seven athletes will also compete in the athletics track in the T11, T13, and T46 categories. The T11 and T13 categories feature athletes with varying degrees of visual impairment, while the T46 class features athletes with a single below or above the elbow amputation.
Kenya's head coach, Henry Kirwa, is a Paralympics legend himself, having won four gold medals and two bronze in his stellar career. He remains optimistic for a respectable medal haul, crediting the government for their support and thanking the media for their coverage.
