Kenya’s Powerlifter Wawira trains in Tokyo, eyes Paralympics gold

TOKYO, Japan, Aug 24 – After missing out on gold at the World Cup, Kenya’s Hellen Wawira will be out to make amends at the bigger stage when she competes in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on Thursday in Japan.

Wawira will be the first Kenyan to open the gold hunt when she takes part in the Powerlifting (41kg and above) and speaking after holding her final training in Tokyo, the 29-year-old is confident of clinching gold.

Together with the team of three technical bench comprising of head coach Lena Nyaboke, loader David Maore and Team Manager Joseph Ochieng, they have been working on solidifying Wawira’s strength with the target of lifting up to 100kg.

“In my last two weeks of training in Nairobi, I was working on my third attempt which is lifting 100kg and I am hopeful I will achieve it here at the Paralympics. Before I came here in Japan, I had tension but when I went to training yesterday, I got confidence that I have never had before, so I am ready for this Paralympics,” Wawira, who is a seasoned athlete said.

Wawira, who entered the World Cup ranked second in the event that also served as the Paralympics Qualifier, was not a good outing for her, but she is determined to make the amends at the Paralympics.

“At the World Cup in Dubai, I did not have good performance, but that is the nature of sports sometimes you win sometimes you lose, it was not my time then, but now I am motivated by that and ready to show the world my worth,” she added.

“Those who I am competing against, most of them I am better than them, I have confidence in my technical bench who have been supporting me especially in the technique because that is where I had a challenge,” Wawira, who thanked her local coach Kennedy Ngatia from Embu, underscored.

Her coach Nyaboke singled out China as a threat, but was upbeat Wawira will raise to the occasion and top the world in the one-day event that will be a straight final.

“Preparations has been good, since we entered camp and I thank the government and the ministry of sports for ensuring we go into residential training camp early which helped us gauge out fitness. We have confidence we will win gold in this event,” Nyaboke, who heaped praises on Wawira, who competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, said.

“Competition is not stiff, its only one from China who lifts 107kg, but if Wawira lifts 100kg then she can go ahead and defeat her, she is a hard worker and I am confident she will deliver gold because she believes in herself.”

Kenya bagged a total of six medals at the last edition in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, winning 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze all coming from athletics and will be looking to surpass that performance.

-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Tokyo, Japan-