Felix Kipruto finished fifth in the 1,500 metres T46 category and Asiya Sururu Mohammed held a similar position in the rowing repechage as Kenya’s hunt for medals at the Paralympic Games remained unsuccessful in Tokyo on Saturday morning.
In Paralympics classification, T46 is the category of athletes with upper limb(s) affected by limb deficiency, impaired muscle power of impaired passive range of movement.
Repechage in rowing is a rough translation from French referring to “a second chance” meaning that competitors who did not advance in the heats have another chance of making it to the semi-finals or final.
In the 1,500m, Kipruto got off to a good start, attacking from the front alongside Russia’s independent athlete Aleksandr Iaremchuk with the pack crossing the 400m mark in 62.44 seconds.
Bulgaria’s Hrisiyan Stoyanov then hit the front at 800m (2:07.89) with Kipruto thrown off balance after an altercation with Ethiopia’s Gemechu Amenu Dinsa as the group came to take the bell.
A television monitor at the Tokyo National Stadium’s Media Tribune shows Kenya’s Felix Kipruto leading the pack in the 1,500 metres’ T11 final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on August 28, 2021. He finished fifth in the race.
Kipruto never recovered as Iaremchuk dipped just before Stoyanov to take the gold in 3:52.02.
Stoyanov (3:52.63) settled for silver with Uganda’s David Emong attacking from 200 metres out to secure bronze in 3:53.51, Eastern Africa’s first medal at these Games.
Kipruto said being a lone ranger in the race disadvantaged him.
“I’m used to attacking from behind as my teammates pull the pace, but today I was alone and tried to dictate from the front which didn’t work out well,” the Kapsabet-born runner said.
In the PR1 women’s single sculls rowing competition at the Sea Forest Waterway, also on Saturday morning, Asiya finished fifth in her repechage heat in 13 minutes, 14.26 seconds, some two minutes, 40.92 seconds behind winner Moran Samuel of Israel who qualified for the “A” final
Asiya will compete in the “B” final – basically a classification competition – from 9.30am local time Saturday (3.30am Kenyan time).
There is no further Kenyan action on Saturday with Mary Waithera Njoroge and Nancy Chelangat Koech featuring in the heats of the 1,500m on Sunday in the T11 category for athletes with visual impairment.
They will be seeking to qualify for the final which will be run on Monday at 9.30am, local time.
Eric Kiptoo Sang and Wilson Bii will also be on the track on Sunday for the men’s T11 heats in the 1,500m chasing Tuesday’s final which will be the final piece of Kenyan action at these Games which conclude on September 5.
Kenya has entered nine athletes at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, one each in rowing and powerlifting with the rest featuring in track races. BY DAILY NATION