The 2016 Paralympics 5,000m bronze medalist Wilson Bii has credited his guide, Robert Tarus, for his three medals garnered in the two Tokyo Paralympics qualifiers he has participated in Dubai and Tunis.
Bii won gold in the men's 5,000m T11 and silver in 1,500m T11 during the World Para Athletics Grand Pix in Tunis last week. During the Dubai edition in February this year, Bii bagged silver in the 5,000m T11.
"My guide has made a huge difference in my running compared to the last time I competed at the Paralympics. In Tunis, there were many of us in the same race but he persisted and encouraged me even when I was tired. He has a never-say-die attitude and for that he has been a big help to me," Bii noted.
With qualification to Tokyo certain, Bii has set sights on an Olympic double in the two races and believes, with the help of Tarus, he is much more equipped to meet this target.
"Things are looking up right now compared to Rio because I am in the form of my life. With the kind of work I have put in training, I am optimistic of winning gold in both 5,000m and 1,500m. It also helps that I have great chemistry with my guide, who is courageous and smart. However, there are a few areas in my running that I need to improve and as such I have gone back to the drawing board to work on them," he said.
Recalling his exploits in Tunis, Bii said it was not an easy race for him considering the unpleasant cold conditions in the North African city, compared to the hot conditions back home.
"I am very happy and I thank God for this win. Honestly, I didn't expect to win because the conditions were very windy and that hampered my performance initially. Fortunately, I had been working hard on my endurance and speed work and this came in handy during the race because I was able to persevere through to the end," Bii said.
The Kericho-born athlete, however, bemoaned the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on many paralympians who have had to survive on shoestring budgets.
"For most of us, we rely on the government to fund us even as we prepare for different events. Unlike other athletes, we do not get much opportunities to go abroad for invitational races. The present situation has been hard on us but we have managed to persist through it and produced such wonderful performances as the recent one," he said.
