In Paris

Multiple world and Commonwealth Games powerlifting medallist, Hellen Wawira of Kenya, will be under immense pressure when she takes the bench in the women’s under-41 kilograms at the Paris Paralympic Games Wednesday.

Wawira, the 2022 and 2023 world champion, is taking it easy and promised to give her best shot and improve on her performance from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Wawira’s coach, David Waore, said her lifter has refined her mental state, power, and technique.

“I love her progress and her discipline. I am glad she made the weight,” said Waore, explaining that her key to success is tied to her technique, mental framework, and power.

“She is fine in all these, having worked hard right from Nairobi to Compiegne and Paris,” said Waore.

Wawira has won seven medals; three gold, one silver, and three bronze from her international powerlifting career, spanning nine years from World Cup Powerlifting Championships, World Power-lifting Championships, Commonwealth Games, and African Games.

Wawira has four medals from the World Cup; two gold, a silver, and a bronze. She collected bronze on her World Cup debut in 2016 Malaysia, before finishing fourth in the same championships in Mexico in 2017.

Wawira’s memorable moment came in 2020 Nigeria where she claimed gold, before returning in 2022 Egypt to settle for silver. She recaptured the World Cup title in 2023 Egypt.

Wawira won gold at the 2022 World Championships in the USA after lifting a personal best of 98kg.

Wawira made history as the first Kenyan woman to medal in power-lifting after she claimed bronze at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, having finished fourth at the 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Australia.

The only medal missing from her collection is from the Paralympics, something she hopes to accomplish on Wednesday.

“We have done whatever we could right from Kenya to France in training. We now leave the rest to God,” said the 32-year-old, who weighed 40.6kgs during the weigh-in session at the Athletes’ Village on Tuesday.

“I have improved in my power and technique. I was doing 95kg before I left Kenya a month ago, but I am working with 110kgs weights that are giving 100 lifts,” explained Wawira, who was born with Spina Bifida, a defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy.

It will be Wawira’s second appearance at the Summer Games, having competed in 2020 where she finished fifth overall with a lift of 93kg.

“I know the competition will be tough but let Kenyans expect the best from me. The good thing is that I will be meeting familiar faces,” said Wawira, who hopes to bench 100kg and above.

With defending champion Guo Lingling from China not in action, Wawira will face Indonesian Ni Nengah Widiasih, a silver medallist from Tokyo, and the reigning world champion Cui Zhe of China.

Also set for the battle are Nigerian Esther Nworgu and Lara De Lima from Brazil, who won silver and bronze medals respectively from the World Championships in Georgia in May.