PARALYMPIANS SET FOR GAMES’ TRIALS: National teams selected for Dubai and Tunisia paralympics qualifiers
Olympics
By
ERICK OCHIENG'
| Feb 14, 2016
Kenya National Paralympics Committee on Friday selected 50 athletes to represent Kenya at the Rio Paralympic Games qualifiers slated for next month in Dubai and Tunisia. The national trials were held at Kasarani in Nairobi.
Among those who made the cut from the over 500 athletes who participated in the trials is world record holder Samuel Muchai Kimani in the men’s 1500m T12 category.
Muchai breezed the tape to emerge top in the category in 4:29.3. He was followed by his perennial rival Wilson Bii who clocked 4:30.0 to also make the cut.
Bii hopes that his combined effort in training in the rugged terrains of Kaptagat will bear fruit in Dubai next month.
Men’s 5000m T12/T13 category proved a hot affair as four top finishers, who also hail from the same region, ended the contest with glittering ‘A’ standard qualifying time.
Philemon Kipchumba (14:50.8), John Komen (15.07.2), Hillary Kemboi (15:12.1) and Bernard Kosgei (15:24.9) all made the cut with A standard.
Women’s 1,500m T12/T13 category had only two qualified athletes in B standard. Tecla Mosop won in 5:12.7 as Nelly Naisimiyu came second in 5:02.2.
Only Jonathan Chepchumba made the cut in men’s 1500m T37 after stopping the clock in 4:46.0. Tarus Irari was the winner in the hotly-contested men’s 1,500m T45/T46. Irari won the contest in 4:02.8, while Stanley Misik came second in 4:05.0. In third place was Stephen Wambua from Machakos who clocked 4:15.7.
But some categories proved tough nuts for the athletes to crack. Categories that did not bear results despite large number of athletes trying their luck included women’s 1,500m T12, men’s 800m T36, men’s 100m T11, women 1500m T20 and women’s 100m T12.
Others were women’s 100m T36/T37/T45/T46 and T47, women’s 400m T54 and T20, men’s 400m T37 and T11, women’s 200m T11 and women’s 200m T45/46/47.
The selected 50 athletes were divided into two squads of 25 each by Kenya National Paralympics Committee. The first batch of 25 athletes will represent the country at the Rio Paralympics qualifiers at the Athletics Asia Oceania Championships slated for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from March 3.