Gold-laden final day for Kenya at Para Athletics Grand Prix
Samwel Mushai (right) and his guide Jean Kipchumba pose for photos after winning the men's 1,500m T11 at the World Para-Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai on February 12, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Kenya wrapped up the championships in third position with 16 medals -- nine gold, one silver and six bronze.
- India topped the medals standing with 21 -- nine gold, eight silver and four bronze, followed by Saudi Arabia.
Kenyan para-athletes saved the best for last, hauling five gold medals on the final day of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai on Thursday evening.
History-making sprinter Jairus Ong’eta, Samuel Mushai and Nancy Chelagat might have sealed a double each in men’s 400m T13 and 5,000m T11 respectively, but it’s javelin thrower, Sheila Wanyonyi who stole the limelight, winning her event with an Africa record.
Brian Esogon was also in a class of his own to hand winning gold in men’s 400m T12 as Kenya wrapped up the championships in third position with 16 medals -- nine gold, one silver and six bronze.
India topped the medals standing with 21 -- nine gold, eight silver and four bronze, followed by Saudi Arabia with nine gold, six silver and four bronze.
Made history
A total of 370 athletes from 42 countries battled it out in the four-day championships. Kenya was representated by 17 athletes.
A day after winning men’s 100m T13, Ong’eta, 28, shot off the blocks smoothly to win in 53.40 seconds, edging out neutral athlete Dzmitry Kaskevich to second place in 54.35. Tineyev Karzhaubay of Kazakhstan settled for a bronze medal in 58.47.
Ong’eta, who made history as the first Kenyan living with albinism to compete internationally, will now turn his focus on the World Para-Athletics Championships scheduled for September 26 to October 5 in New Delhi, India.
“I want to thank the Kenya National Paralympic Committee for ensuring that I get my classification this time around. I am so happy and I feel relaxed,” said Ong’eta. “I want to improve my time and that will mean talking to my coach on the areas of improvement.”
Ong’eta, who is also a spoken word artist, is handled by Duncan Ayiemba, former coach to Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala.
New Africa record
Wanyonyi won the women’s javelin throw T12/13 in a new Africa record of 35.03m as she erased the previous marks of 30.61m (T12) and 31.68 (T13) set in 2019 and 2024 respectively.
Esogon went for the men’s T12 victory in 52.21, leaving Ihar Sauchuk, a Neutral Para Athlete and Kyrymov Nurly from Kazakhstan to settle for silver and bronze in 53.55 and 1:03.77 respectively.
Two days after clinching victory in the 1,500m T11, Mushai, the 2012 London Paralympics 1,500m champion, led a Kenyan sweep of the podium in 5,000m T11/12.
Mushai, the 2016 Rio Paralympics 5,000m champion, won in 15:47.78 as John Lodeki (15:44.25) locked up silver with Jackson Kpar (16:16.56).
Chelangat won the women's 400m T11 in 1:06.52 to add to her 1,500m T11 title won two days ago, beating Yi-Jung Wu from Chinese Taipei in 1:15,16.