Paris Paralympic Games long jump T37 silver medallist Samson Ojuka after being named the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) athlete of the month of September in Nairobi.
When I was born, I weighed around 5.6 kilogrammes. It was impossible for me to be removed from my mother's womb, so the doctors decided to break my arm so that I would stand a chance.
It also affected my leg, so that's how I got the disability. Throughout my life I've been living with this disability, but it didn't stop me from participating in sports.
I used to play with other children as usual. I have always wanted to be a sportsperson.
Samson Ojuka, 28, is a para athlete who competes in sprints and long jump. He played football at Maseno School as a striker, but switched to athletics after he learned about paralympic sports when he joined Kenyatta University to pursue Bachelor of Law in 2018.
The second-born child in a family of four is the African long jump record holder after he won silver at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with a 6.20metres jump. The jump made Ojuka the first ever Kenyan to win a medal in long jump in the history of paralympics.
With all your accomplishments, it is hard to tell that you are living with a disability… It is called Erbs Palsy. The classification for it in athletics is T37. It's an impairment on the arm and on the foot. I was not born with the condition. When I was born, I weighed around 5.6 kilogrammes. It was impossible for me to be removed from my mother's womb, so the doctors decided to break my arm so that I would stand a chance. It also affected my leg, so that's how I got the disability. Throughout my life I've been living with this disability, but it didn't stop me from participating in sports. I used to play with other children as usual. I have always wanted to be a sportsperson.
