- Title: KENYA: PARALYMPICS: Kenya's Nakhumicha targets Paralympic gold, new leg brace
- Date: 29th August 2012
- Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF KENYA PARALYMPIC TEAM CAPTAIN, MARY NAKHUMICHA STRAPPING LEG ONTO SEAT VARIOUS OF NAKHUMICHA STRETCHING VARIOUS OF NAKHUMICHA THROWING JAVELIN CECILIA MWANGI, PARALYMPIAN LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) KENYA PARALYMPIC TEAM CAPTAIN, MARY NAKHUMICHA, SAYING: "We have a lot of problem because the wheelchairs we have are very h
- Embargoed: 13th September 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA7SAGXOTB0XFCOJCEP8KVCB4T4
- Story Text: The desire to make Kenya proud and the need for a pain-free orthopaedic leg brace is driving Kenya's Paralympic team captain, Mary Nakhumicha to target a gold medal at the London Games.
At the Kasarani sports complex in Nairobi, Mary Nakhumicha gets ready for the days training session.
Nakhumicha, Kenya's Paralympic team captain, will be competing at the London Paralympics and says her focus right now is winning gold for Kenya.
Nakhumicha won javelin silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and she will also throw discus and shot-put in the F57 category in London.
But she walks with a crude metal leg brace which is strapped around her knee with coarse leather. Nakhumicha says her wheelchair has a faulty caliper and is not designed for sports anyway so she can't use it. She hopes to raise about 480 US dollars to buy a good model.
"We have a lot of problem because the wheelchairs we have are very heavy, you cannot train well. You know wheelchair basketball we have different, for competition they are very light but the anti wheelchair we have, they are very heavy, when you wheel from here to there you feel tired," said Nakhumicha.
People with disability in Kenya often suffer prejudice and stigma, rendering many unemployable, while disabled-friendly access and services are almost non-existent.
Nakhumicha believes a key incentive for Kenyan Paralympians in London is the prize money usually on offer. Telephone operator Safaricom has also put up a 1 million shillings ($11,900) reward for every gold won.
She says such incentives are life-changing.
"You know, mostly when you go for Olympics, our president, they promise that if you get gold, they have presents for you. That is why I am trying to do my best to get gold and then I go to my president to give me my gift," she said.
Kenyan paralympians also say there is a chronic shortage of funding for sports equipment and transport, which makes it impossible for many disabled athletes to train.
Nakhumicha became disabled after a bad malaria injection paralysed her leg when she was five years old.
She won gold medals in javelin, shot-put and discus at the 2009 Africa Great Lakes Championships in Kenya.
Despite the achievements, Nakhumicha says growing up disabled has been tough and sometimes she doesn't get the support she needs.
"You know many people in Kenya, they cannot think that disabled people they can make it, they cannot participate and get gold. But in Kenya, me I say that I am very proud because in Kenya I am only champion," said Nakhumicha.
Away from professional competitions, Nakhumicha works as an assistant sports coach with ANDY, a Kenyan charity which uses sports to develop self-esteem, confidence and other skills that disabled individuals often lack in workplaces.
Much of ANDY's work is done in Nairobi's Kibera slum, one of Africa's largest, where narrow dirt roads littered with rubbish make movement difficult and life harsh for disabled people.
Nakhumicha, who also plays table tennis, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball, says she wants her success to change mindsets in Kenya,system.scripts. and highlight the need for disabled-friendly services in the country. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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