Isaac Makokha's bronze steals the show at Deaflympics
Until top deaf golfer Isaac Makokha produces another masterclass, the year 2022 will forever remain his best.
It is the same case for most of his Deaflympics teammates who represented Kenya at the delayed 2021 Summer Deaflympics held from May 1 to 15 this year in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil.
While the inaugural Deaflympics was held in Paris in 1924, it was until in 1997 in Copenhagen, Denmark, that Kenya debuted the prestigious Games held after every four years.
Since then, Kenya has made it a tradition to grace the championships, registering improved performance in every edition.
Achieved their target
Consequently, the Kenyan contingent of 124 athletes for the Games in Brazil had one main task at hand — to continue that tradition by improving the country’s 16-medal haul (five gold, five silver and six bronze) at the 2017 competition held in Samsun, Turkey.
The contingent was the biggest that Kenya has ever taken to the competition.
That was due to the inclusion of football (women), basketball (men and women) and handball (men and women) teams.
Before, Kenya was represented at the Games by track athletes and golfers only.
And true to the words of Team Kenya for the Brazil's competition, they achieved their target of maintaining the country’s impressive run at the Deaflympics by scooping 24 medals (five gold, seven silver and 12 bronze).
The performance saw Kenya finish top in Africa and 11th globally, while Ukraine topped with 137 medals (61 gold, 38 silver and 38 bronze).
But it was Makokha, 31, who stole the show in the Kenyan contingent by winning a historic bronze medal in golf for the country.
The song and dance by a handful of the Kenyan contingent that had that morning braved the light showers, and biting cold at the Caxias Do Sul golf course to cheer him on told it all - what he had achieved was indeed huge!
He said since Kenyans from all walks of life had wished him well at the tournament, he had to pull out all stops in-order not to disappoint them. Winning the gold medal, he said, was his target.
To bag the bronze medal, the 2020 Kenya Amateur Match Play golf champion outsmarted German Guldan Nico by two ups – a performance that was an improvement from his fifth place finish at the Samsun Games.
It was a victory that did not come easy for the Vet Lab Golf Club player since apart from arriving late for the championships, he also had to cope with being caddied by a novice.
Due to delay in issuance of visas, the Kenyan golf team arrived in Brazil a day before the start of the golf competition.
Initially, Makokha was being caddied by his wife Susan but after she picked up an injury, the golf team’s interpreter Chris Ogembo took up the task.
Ogembo then said though he had been ambushed with the caddying job, he took up the task to help Kenya’s top deaf golfer achieve his dream of winning a medal. Going into the competition, Makokha had singled out doubled Deaflympics champion John Allen of Germany as his main threat in the gold medal race. It came to pass, as Allen bundled him out at the semi-finals and proceeded to defend his title.
Adan Wario and Gilbert Alikula, who were Kenya’s other golfers in the Games, did not make it past the stroke play stage.
Kenya bagged all the remaining 23 medals in track and field events. Decorated athlete Symon Kibai dazzled by successfully defending his titles in both men’s 5,000 metres and 10,000m.
The rest of the gold medallists were captain Lucas Wandia (men’s 3000m steeplechase), Ian Wambui (men’s 1500m) and Elikana Kiprop Rono (men’s 800m).
Even though Beryl Wamira and Linet Fwamba did not win a golden medal, they starred with four medals each to their name.
The two athletes were part of the mixed relay team (George Waweru and Isaac Atima) and women’s 4x400m relay team (Pamela Atieno and Sharon Bitok) that scooped silver in the Games.
They were also part of the women’s 4x100m relay team (Rael Wamira and Anzazi Chaka) that won bronze in the Games.
At the individual capacity, Fwamba and Beryl won bronze in women’s 400m and women’s 200m respectively.
The rest of the silver medallists included Peter Toroitich (men’s 10,000m), Serah Wangari (women’s 10,000m), Bitok (women’s 1,500m, 800m), and Ian Wambui (men’s 5,000m).
The other bronze medallists were; David Kipkogei (men’s 10,000m), Grancy Kendagor (women’s 10,000m, 5,000m), Kelvin Kipkogei (men’s javelin), Peter Omari Kokobi (men's 3,000m steeplechase) and Ann Njoki Wangeci (women's 3,000m steeplechase), Rebecca Matiko (women’s 800m).
Simon Menza, Charles Muthama, George Waweru, Isaac Atima emerged third in the men's 4x400m relay.
In the ball games, women’s deaf football, both men’s and women’s deaf basketball and both men’s and women’s deaf handball all struggled.
Only the women's handball team reached the semi-finals where they lost 31-8 to defending champions Denmark.
In the third place play-off, the Kenyan girls lost 24-15 to hosts Brazil.
In honouring all the medallists, the government on July 12 hosted them for a breakfast at a Nairobi Hotel where Sports Principal Secretary Joe Okudo announced they would all receive their cash awards in a day’s time.
Every gold medal fetched Sh1 million, while the cash reward for silver and bronze medals was Sh750,000 and Sh500,000, respectively.
Speaking at the function, Team Kenya captain Wandia said it was a great honour to see the government eventually rewarding deaf athletes.
“I am very proud today because this is the first time that we are all here (deaf medallists) to get our cash awards.
“Previously when we returned home, we just went to our respective homes without any appreciation," he said.
The Games in Brazil was the only event that the Kenyan Deaflympics team featured at in the year ending.
With continuous training being the key lesson that the officials of the Kenyan ball teams returned with from Brazil, the Deaf Football Federation of Kenya has been organising various tournaments locally in order to improve the national team's prospects.
On December 3, Eastleigh Deaf FC edged-out Flamingo Deaf FC 2-1 at University of Nairobi grounds to clinch the National League Championship Cup.
Sukari, Bison and Pirate are the other teams that featured in the competition that started at the regional level.
Deaf handball teams, Young City (men) and New Hope women were registered to play in the senior Kenya Handball League.
There is no deaf handball league in the country. BY DAILY NATION
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