It's an honour to represent Kenya at Deaflympics, says debutant Bwire

Kenya women's deaf cycling champion Brenda Bwire, after bagging gold at the Jubilee Insurance Grand Nairobi Bike Race held in Nairobi on Sunday/HANDOUT

Deaf cyclist Brenda Bwire is set to make history as she represents Kenya at the 25th Summer Deaflympics, scheduled for November 15 to 26 in Tokyo, Japan. 

Bwire, 33, will make her debut alongside Simon Njoroge, also 33.

Bwire described the opportunity as a great honour and expressed her ambition to win medals and make the country proud. “I am very relieved that we will be going to Japan. I am very happy to get this opportunity. My goal is to win medals and make the country proud,” she said.

On Sunday, Bwire claimed gold in the deaf women’s category at the Jubilee Insurance Grand Nairobi Bike Race, signalling her readiness for the upcoming Deaflympics.

“My target was a podium finish and I have achieved exactly that — by striking gold. I am very ready for the showpiece in Japan. I have always trained hard and I will continue to do so until we go to Japan,” she remarked.

Bwire and Njoroge earned their slots at the Summer Games by winning their respective races at the national trials at Kasarani in August.

Bwire started riding at age 14 in Mombasa, primarily for recreation. She then joined cycling groups and pursued the sport seriously while studying at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA). 

“When I joined school, I felt motivated to do it as a sport. My mother started supporting me and ever since I have been cycling with my hearing colleagues,” she said. 

The Tokyo Deaflympics will be her first international competition exclusively for deaf athletes.

In 2021, Bwire won gold in a triathlon in Turkey, where she was the only deaf competitor. Since exclusive deaf races are rare in Kenya, she has often competed alongside hearing cyclists, which has improved her skills despite the challenges.

“As a deaf person, there is always a lot of confusion about which routes to use. We are always getting stuck and when training, there is a lot of confusion on the road. Sometimes we don’t have someone guiding us. It is easy for the hearing people to know but for us it is a bit hard,” she explained.

Kenya Deaf Cycling team head coach Steve Odongo said the team is well-prepared for Tokyo. 

“We thank the government for their support as we prepare for the Deaflympics. We are very ready for it. We have prepared well and we are promising Kenyans glittering gold medals,” he declared.