Kenya bags more golds at Brazil’s Deaflympics

Team Kenya bagged eight medals on the penultimate day of the 24th Deaflympics at Caxias Do Sul in Brazil to increase her medal tally to 24 .

The team bagged two gold, three silver and three bronze to surpass the 16 medals won during the last edition in Samsun Turkey in 2017.

Elikana Rono clinched gold in 800m while two time Deaflympics champion Symon Kibai completed a double after bagging gold in the 5,000m. He had earlier won a gold in 10,000m.

Kibai was over the moon after winning his second gold medal in Brazil saying : “It was not a mean feat. The weather was terrible since it was raining and very cold. However, I’m happy for the gold medal.”

Speaking after the race at the Sesi Centro Esportivo in Caxias Do Sul, he called on the government to support Deaf athletes by offering them employment like their hearing counterparts.

In the 800m, Rono won the hotly contested race in  One minute 54.75 beating Jammie Morga (1:54.88) of Spain to second place while Michael Kulpa (1:54.91) of Poland finished third. 

Kenya’s other representative in the race Brian Kosgei was fourth.

In the women’s 5, 000m final Grancy Kendagor won a bronze medal after finishing in 18 minutes16.44 in the race which was won by Sara-Elise Ruokonen (17:33.03). Lourdes Juarez of Mexico was beaten to second place in 17 minutes 33.91.

The Kenyan quartet of Beryl Wamira, Linet Nanjala, Sharon Bitok and Pamela Atieno clinched a silver in the women’s 4x400m relay while their male counterparts Isaac Atima, George Waweru Charles Muthama and Simon Menza settled for a bronze in their event.

It was Wamira’s fourth medal. She won two silver and two bronze medals.

Sharon Jeptarus and Rebecca Matiko won silver and bronze in the women’s 800m respectively.