In Paris
There will be no resting for the freshly minted 2024 Paris Paralympic Games long jump T37 silver medallist, Samson Ojuka.
No sooner had he set a new African record with an incredible haul of 6.2 metres at Stade de France on Tuesday night to claim Kenya’s first medal at the Games than Ojuka announced he will be going for the Para Athletics Championships title next year.
“I will need to improve on my speed on the runway to achieve that now that I have refined my board stepping technique, jump and landing,” said Ojuka, who is now planning his training schedule for the 2025 world event scheduled for March in Dubai.
Ojuka, a final year law student at Kenyatta University, erased the previous African record of 6.05m set by Andrea Dalle Ave from South Africa in 2015 in Johannesburg.
Chinese Shang Guangxu holds the world and Olympic record of 6.77m set during the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.
“I now have self-belief that I can achieve it and this is the right moment when my craft is rising,” said the 28-year-old Ojuka, who is mulling competing in the 100m as well at the world championships.
Ojuka has participated in three world championships -- 2019 Dubai, 2023 Paris and 2024 Kobe, Japan without winning a medal.
He finished sixth with a personal best of 5.73m in Kobe in May, a performance that handed him the ticket to Paris Paralympics where he improved his throw by a massive 0.47 metres.
“I believe I am still not perfect without a gold medal from the world event. I hope to also compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games,” said Ojuka, who will be graduating in December.
Ojuka believes consistency in training and exposure to high level competition will be the key to improvement.
Ojuka’ silver was Kenya’s first field event medal since the 2008 Beijing Paralympics where Mary Nakhumicha won silver in Javelin F57/58.
Brian Lionel of Argentina clinched gold with his second jump of 6.42m as Ojuka edged out Brazilian Cardo Evangelista on countback after jumping a similar distance of 6.20m from his second jump.
Ojuka said improved technique on the runway delivered a silver medal after having only started hitting the board three days before the championships.
Failing to hit the board, Ojuka, revealed, had left him a worried man wondering if his almost one month stay in France just for training would go in vain.
“We have tirelessly worked on the right technique at the board and I only got it right with my coach three days ago,” said Ojuka.
“This is a night to remember. It will take time to sink in that I have won a medal on my debut at the Paralympics,” said the law student.
Ojuka revealed that the first two jumps disappointed him since it was not what he had jumped in training camp in France. Ojuka failed to go on board in his first jump but managed 5.83m and 5.88 in his second and third attempts.
“I was doing 6.2m to 6.3m in training when I finally managed to step on the board well. I told myself that that wasn’t me. I had to reorganise myself on the runway,” said Ojuka.
Ojuka said his regular coach Henry Nzungi and Egyptian coach Ahmed Moftah combined efforts at the terraces to push his quest for a medal. “I did the trick as I improved further,” said Ojuka. “I am simply over the moon.”
Ojuka dedicated his medal to all those who supported him and the thousands of Kenyans who watched, especially my family, his coach and Kenya National Paralympic Committee.
“Kenya had not won a medal from track and field I was the only one remaining competitor to salvage some pride. I am happy that I managed to carry the national flag higher here in Paris,” said Ojuka, who was born with a deformed right hand (Erbs Palsy).
“This one will take time to settle,” said the second born in a family of four -- two boys and two girls.
Nzungi said they focused on strength and conditioning in Nairobi and changed to working on technique in Compiegne, France. Their results point to a bright future for the forthcoming lawyer.
