Kenya’s para-athlete Nancy Chelang’at Koech feels very much fit and prepared compared to 2021 when she won bronze, the only medal for Team Kenya at the Tokyo Summer Games.

Chelangat who will be competing in the women 1500m T11 race, yesterday told People Sport that she had improved on her personal best during her training in Compiegne and was confident of a gold medal when the Games begin at the Stade de France from August 28.

“I have trained well and I’m currently very strong than in 2021 when I won bronze in Tokyo. The camp in Compiegne has really helped me get the shape I wanted, because I was not in this form when I trained in Kapsabet before the we travelled here,” Chelangat said.

Kenyan women are yet to secure victory from athletics track yet the discipline is the most successful since the country made its debut at the Paralympics during the 1972 Hedelberg Games in Germany.

From the collection of 49 medals; 19 gold, 16 silver, 14 bronze the women have contributed 16 medals; two gold, eight silver and six bronze. Women in field events have been the most successful with 10 medals; two gold, four silver and four bronze.

Lucy Wanjiru (javelin 3) 1980 Arnhem, the Netherlands, and Mary Nakhumicha (javelin THW7) 1992 Barcelona, Spain are the only female gold medallists from the Paralympic Games. In fact, before legendary Wanyoike’s in 5,000m T11 at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, Kenya had not won any medal from athletics track.

The only women’s medallists from track are Everlyne Khasembula (100m T57-bronze) from 2200 Sydney, Julia Longorkaye (1,500m T12- silver) at 2004 Athens and Chelangat  (1,500m T11) silver in 2016 Rio and bronze in 2021 Tokyo.

However, Kenya’s trio of Chelang’at, who is the 2023 world 1,500m T11 champion, 2023 world 1,500m T11 bronze medallist Mary Waithera and Priscah Jepkemei -are determined to change that landscape in the women’s 1,500m T11. They are determined to for a clean podium sweep in Paris. Chelang’at and Waithera qualified for Paris Paralympics by virtue of their medal bracket performance at the 2023 Paris World Para Athletics Championships.  Jepkemei ran a high-performance time at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan in May this year to seal her place in Paris.

It will be Chelangat’s second Paralympics appearance while Waithera and Jepkemei will be making a debut.

“Our training has been smooth and moving to Compiegne for tartan track training away from the marrum track in Kapsabet has increased our chances of performing well,” said Chelangat, who is confident of a Kenyan podium sweep.

Chelang’at said that their speed has improved after changing the training surface and hopes to personally improve her personal best from 4:22.15 minutes to 4:20.00. “Our training is so well co-ordinated and we have been pushing each other to bring good times,” said the 29-year-old Chelang’at.

“I think this is my time after winning silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo,” explained Chelangat.

“We can only pray and hope for the best because we have put in our best in training right from home to this camp,” said Jepkemei.

Waithera is also hoping to make amends for finishing in bronze position at last year’s world championships. “My dream is for the title to come home. A woman is yet to win gold on track but I have a feeling this is the time,” said Waithera.