Kenyan Paralympic team: Six more athletes qualify for Tokyo games

The paralympic team from left, Irene Tanui, Sang Wesley Kimeli, Felix Kipruto, train at 64 Stadium in Eldoret before heading to Tunisia for Olympic qualifies on March 14 2021. 28.02.2021. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

After returning from the Tunis World Para-Athletics Grand Prix on Monday, the Kenyan Paralympic team is still targeting to increase the number of participants at this year's Tokyo Olympics Games.

The Tunis’ qualifier event welcomed 55 countries with Kenya fielding a team of 45 athletes in track, field, wheelchair race and long jump.

The event saw six more Kenyan Paralympians qualify for the Tokyo Olympics Games to bring the total number of athletes to 11.

The six are; Wilson Bii who led a 1-2 finish in the men's 5,000m T11 to bag gold, Eric Sang (T11,5000m), Nancy Chelagat T11,1500m, Nelly Nasimiyu T12,1500m and Mary Waithera T11,1500m.

In the Tunis show, the team was ranked 17th with two gold, six silver and eight bronze medals.

Five other Kenyan Paralympians who had qualified for the Tokyo games are Syvia Aliero (F44) Felix Kipruto T46, 1500m, Rodgers Kiprop T11, 5000m and 1500m, James Magerer F57 and Samuel Muchai T11, 5000m and 1500m. Athletes in the T46 class have a single below or above the elbow amputation.

At the Dubai world Paralympic grand prix-cum Paralympic games qualifier that took place between February 10th to 13th, Felix Kipruto led his compatriots Wesley Kimeli Sang and Stanley Kipkoech in a clean podium sweep in the 1500m T46 category.

Kenya emerged ninth globally and third in Africa at the Dubai event.

From Tunisia, the team will head to France for the third and final qualifiers meeting, from where the Paralympics national team to Tokyo, Japan will be formed.

The Tokyo Paralympic games will begin on August 24 and end on September 5.