Kenya’s cycling star Brenda Bwire is poised to make history when she represents the country at the 25th Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan, scheduled for November 15 to 26.
The 33-year-old cyclist, who began her journey on the streets of Mombasa, will line up alongside compatriot Simon Njoroge, marking Kenya’s first-ever participation in cycling at the Deaflympics.
Bwire’s selection follows her victory in the women’s deaf category at the Jubilee Insurance Grand Nairobi Bike Race held last weekend, where she struck gold to seal her place in the national team.
“I am very happy to get this opportunity. My goal is to win medals and make the country proud,” she said, brimming with confidence.
Having earned her Deaflympics ticket after triumphing at the national trials in Kasarani in August, Bwire says she feels physically and mentally ready for the challenge ahead.
“Today my target was a podium finish, and I achieved it in style. I’m now focused on Japan. I will continue training hard until we leave,” she said.
Bwire’s cycling story began at age 14, pedaling purely for fun in Mombasa before turning professional while studying at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA).
Encouraged by her mother, she joined cycling groups and began competing seriously, later bagging gold at a triathlon event in Turkey in 2021, where she was the only deaf participant.
Despite her success, Bwire admits the journey has not been without challenges. “As a deaf person, there’s often confusion during training or races because we can’t hear directions. But competing with hearing cyclists has made me stronger,” she shared.
“We are always getting stuck and when training there is a lot of confusion on the road. Sometimes we don’t have someone guiding us. It is easy for the hearing people to know but for us it is a bit hard,” she said.
Head coach Steve Odongo praised government support and expressed optimism about Kenya’s debut in Tokyo. “The team is ready and motivated. We’re aiming to bring home gold,” he affirmed.
“We thank the State for giving us support so that we can go to the Deaflympics. We feel that we are very ready for it. We have prepared well and we are promising Kenyans to return home with the glittering gold medals.”
