Deaflympics: Team Kenya leaves Tokyo with two world records and 15 medals

The riveting Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics is over and Team Kenya is leaving the global championships with heads held high after bagging 15 medals; five gold, six silver and four bronze.

The contingent also secured two global accolades; the World and Deaflympics records shattered by peerless Ian Wambui Kahinga in the men’s 5,000m, bringing a halt to the two longstanding records set by compatriot Simon Kibai Cherono 12 years ago in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Kahinga was also beyond reproach in men’s 10,000m, leading Kenya to a 1-2 finish with him securing gold as veteran David Kiptum Kipkogei settled for silver.

With Kahinga’s feats, athletics head coach Caroline Kola and her co-assistant Samuel Kibet have indeed found a replacement for Kenya’s most decorated Deaflympian Kibai who missed the 25th edition of the global sporting extravaganza in Tokyo to defend his titles and records.

The Tokyo championships also saw the rebirth of new talents; a perfect example is James Mwanza Musembi who came straight from the village to mint Sh5 million in Japan, after bagging gold in men’s 1500m and a silver in the men’s 5,000m.

Owing to his village status, the 21-year-old from Machakos is yet to master even conventional sign language to communicate to his peers and interpreters, but coach Kibet still had a way to converse with him.

“As long as he knew the rules of the game, then we were good to go. I had confidence in him. I gave him a chance because he was always a medal material. I’m happy he delivered,” said Kibet, who now wants Musembi enrolled in a Deaf school so he can learn conventional ways of Deaf communication.

Veteran athletes like Kipkogei and former Team Kenya captain Lucas Wanjiru Wandia also proved their mettle, that old is gold.

Wandia bagged the men’s 3,000m steeplechase gold to record a three-peat in the category. His victory confirmed him as the king of the discipline in the quadrennial showdown.

Likewise, Kipkogei won another silver in the energy sapping marathon held on the solid rock surface of the Tokyo Expressway under very heavy skies, incessant rains, biting cold and foggy weather that saw nine athletes register a Did Not Finish.

Though 46, Kipkogei says he has just discovered a new talent in running which is the marathon.

“I have no retirement plans, I’m going for gold in the 2029 edition in Greece,” said Kipkogei who will be using his Sh4 million raked from the championships to buy land, build a house and beef up his herd of cattle.

Though the men put up spirited fights in the Games, the women will have to step up their tactics and skills in the next edition of the championships in Greece, as Sharon Bitok Jeptarus and Serah Wangari Kimani were the only ones who made it to the podium on individual capacity, winning bronze in women’s 1500m and 10000m respectively. Linet Fwamba Nanjala and Beryl Atieno Wamira had a silver in the 4x400m Mix Relay.

In golf, teen sensation Jacinta Njeri made history as the first Kenyan lady to tee-off in the Games, opening opportunities to other Kenya Deaf women in the sport.

But the golf fraternity needs to go back to the drawing board to work on their tactical skills ahead of Greece as Isaac Makokha was the best placed Kenyan golfer in 14th place.

Likewise, basketball head coach Mary Chepkoi has noted positives from the championships, outlining her mission to revamp her squad with new blood.

And since the Deaf community has no meaningful basketball league, Chepkoi has pledged to register the team in the Nairobi Basketball Association League to strengthen the charges ahead of the championships in Greece.

Kenya did well in handball despite losing the games, theirs was the perfect example of going down fighting as they lost with small margins to Serbia, Croatia, Brazil and Japan. The team can do well if the small teething issues are tackled in the squad.

Even though they did not proceed to any of the finals in their categories, Kenyan swimmers, led by captain Francis Gichuhi gave good accounts of themselves in the country’s debut in the discipline.

Almost all the Kenyan swimmers improved their timings and personal bests in their categories, giving optimism that the future is bright for Kenya in the sport.

At the same time, congratulations go to Kenyan handball player Saulo Oduor who has been elected into the global Deaf federation ICSD Athlete Commission Board alongside Caludia Hayakawa of Brazil, Katrin Neudolt of Austria and Theodor Thor of Sweden.

The quartet will serve the international Deaf federation for the next four years.