Kenya National Paralympic Committee (KNPC) intends to take a team of 25 athletes and 18 guides to this year’s Paris Paralympic Games set for August 28-8 in the French capital.
Seven athletes have so far qualified in athletics, cycling, taekwondo and rowing while 18 more are still going through the qualifiers in the same events in addition to powerlifting, triathlon and wheelchair tennis.
KNPC secretary-general Stanley Mutuma disclosed that the 19 athletes who are on the path to qualification are nine in athletics, two in cycling, four in powerlifting and one each in triathlon and wheelchair tennis.
Kenya had only nine contestants at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where the country managed only one medal (bronze) from Nancy Chelangat.
This was a drop in performance from the past three Paralympics in 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio. In 2016 Rio, the country collected six medals; three gold, one silver and two bronze.
Chelangat (1,500 T11), the sole medallist from Tokyo is among three from athletics to have punched their tickets to Paris. Others are Mary Waithera (1,500 T11) and Wesley Sang (1,500 T46),
Others are Asiya Sururu, who will be making her second appearance in para-rowing and Stacy Neema and Julieta Moipo in taekwondo. This is a clear indication that women could outnumber men in Paris.
Kennedy Ogada, who represented Kenya at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, will be heading for Paris in tandem cycling (double bike), having also qualified.
A total of 13 athletes from Athletics will have their last stab in pursuit of their Paris Olympics dream at the World Para Athletics Championships set for May 17 to 25 in Kobe, Japan.
The Kobe championships will be used as the final qualifying championships for the Paris Paralympics, where all medallists will make it to the Summer Games.
Multi-paralympic medallist Samuel Mushai Kimani is part of the squad that will be hoping for good fortunes in Kobe.
Mushai, who is chasing his fifth Paralympics appearance, has three medals from the Paralympics - two gold and a silver. He will compete in the men's 5,000m T11 in Kobe.
He won 1,500m T11 silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, which he improved to gold four years later at the 2012 London Paralympic Games in a World and Games Record 3:58:37. He went on to seal a double at the 2016 Rio Paralympics with victory in the 5,000m T11.
Others going to Kobe are visually impaired athlete Eric Sang, the Paralympic athletes representative. Wilson Bii hopes to get a slot via the high-performance ranking system. B
ii has represented Kenya at two Summer Paralympics, beginning in London in 2012, where he competed in the 5,000m T11 but failed to finish the race before striking bronze in Rio four years later.
