For the first time since Kenya’s first Olympic participation in Melbourne 1956, Tokyo 2020 was the first Games where the women’s quota in the team dramatically surpassed that of men at 56 per cent representation
The number of Kenyan women winning Olympic medals has also risen progressively, from the first and only medal in 1996, by Pauline Konga in 5,000 metres to more than half the Kenyan medals in Rio 2016 – seven of 13 medals and sharing 50-50 in Tokyo 2020
It is apparent that women are emerging from the shadows of men in sports, and it has been through a long history of deliberate efforts of support and role modelling
When Andrew Amonde and Mercy Moim entered the Tokyo Olympic Stadium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony as joint flag bearers of Kenya, it sent a strong message of equality and a reflection of just how far women in sports have come.
And that is not all. For the first time since Kenya’s first Olympic participation in Melbourne 1956, Tokyo 2020 was the first Games where the women’s quota in the team dramatically surpassed that of men at 56 per cent representation.
