This archive report was first published on 18 September 2019.
Kenya's Beryl Wamira made history by winning the first gold medal at the inaugural African deaflympics championships, held at Kasarani Stadium on September 17, 2019. The world junior 200m record holder produced a brilliant show, winning the 100m race in an impressive 12.87 seconds.
Wamira's victory was closely followed by Assurance Omoira of Nigeria, who finished in 13.21 seconds, and Ruth Awuor of Kenya, who settled for bronze in 13.58 seconds.
"I feel good. The race was hard but I did my best even though I wasn’t feeling well. My target is to break the 100m and 200m record at senior level," said Wamira.
Kenya's men's team also made a strong start, topping the second and third heats in the 100m men's heats. John Koech won the 800m semi-final in 1:59.2, while Jennifer Nyakato of Uganda won the women's 800m race in 2:08.3.
However, the day's events were marred by false starts, which affected several athletes, including Kebabonye Letlaatlaa in the men's 100m heat one.
Jonas Kirui, the President of Deaf Athletics Association of Kenya, attributed the false starts to the implementation of new light technology, which most deaflympians are not familiar with.
