Teen runner Munang’at steals show in National Para Athletics Championships

For those who closely follow para athletics, Munang’at’s victory was unexpected. The 19-year-old, who has never represented Kenya before, faced an uphill battle against elite competitors, including 2016 Rio Paralympics 5,000m T11 gold medalist Samwel Mushai, who also won the 1,500m T11 title at the 2012 London Paralympics.

Also in the race was Wilson Bii, the 2016 Rio Paralympics 5,000m T11 bronze medalist, and experienced distance runner Eric Kiptoo Sang. Mushai had previously dominated the event, winning the world titles in London (2017) and Dubai (2019).

When the race began, the pack of five athletes and their guides exchanged leads over the 12.5-lap contest. However, Munang’at made his move with three laps to go, breaking away from the group and widening his lead to secure victory in 16 minutes and 01.2 seconds.

His impressive time placed him in Category A, the highest Paralympics qualification ranking, earning him a spot in Team Kenya for the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, scheduled for February 6-13.

Munang’at edged out Mushai, who clocked 16:14.8 to finish second, while Sang settled for third in 16:41.4—both qualifying with B-class times.

The victory was especially sweet for Munang’at, a Form Four student at St. Francis School for the Blind, Kapenguria, after missing last year’s World Grand Prix in Tunis due to classification issues.

“I actually made the team, but there were issues with my classification, so I was locked out. I’m happy those issues have been resolved, and I can now represent Kenya for the first time,” said Munang’at.

“Winning in such a strong field with a high-standard time is quite satisfying. It means I’m doing something right,” added Munang’at, who has been training under coach Joseph Lomong since November.

Munang’at, who lost his sight at the age of 10 due to illness, is determined to excel in athletics to improve his nomadic family’s life.

“My eyes started paining, and I couldn’t get medical attention on time because of our nomadic lifestyle in West Pokot. By the time we sought treatment, it was too late—I had already gone blind,” he recalled.

His goal is to perform well at the Grand Prix and qualify for this year’s World Championships, the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and ultimately, the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games.

Meanwhile, in the sprints, Paris Paralympics long jump T37 silver medallist, Samson Ojuka, won his 100m T37 heat in 12.1 seconds, meeting the qualifying time for Dubai. He was joined by Anthony Nzomo (12.0) and Alphonse Mairon (11.9), who won their respective heats. Ojuka was also set to compete in the T37 long jump event.

In the women’s 100m, multi-talented Stency Neema (T47) and Daisy Chepkirui (T11) were the only athletes to hit the qualifying marks.

Neema, fresh from winning her level two event at the Egypt Para International Badminton tournament last weekend, clocked 13.0 seconds in her race and hopes to improve to sub-13 seconds in Dubai.

Chepkirui won her category in 14.5 seconds as the two-day championships conclude on Thursday.