Hesron Kapanga
Three upcoming para-athletes, Bradley Murere, Chris Kinda and Leonard Amadhila, are excited about representing their country in the upcoming International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Para Athletics Championships.
The 11th edition of the Para Athletics World Championships will be held in Kobe, Japan from 17 to 25 May 2024.
Over 1 000 athletes from more than 100 nations will participate in the 171-medal event, including 93 medals in the male category, 77 in the female category and one in the mixed category.
The Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championships will take place at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, which will be the first time the event is held in East Asia, and the third edition in Asia after Doha 2015 in Qatar and Dubai 2019 in the United Arab Emirates.
In an interview with Nampa recently, Murere, who will be making his second appearance at the World Champs, said he has set his goal of improving his times and qualifying for the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games.
“This will be my second World Championships, following last year’s event in Paris, France. My goal is to maintain or improve the times I have been running at home,” he said. Murere, who previously competed in the 100 metre (m) and long jump event, added that due to injuries, he has stopped competing in the long jump and migrated to the 400m sprint, and he looks forward to running a personal best at the competition.
Kinda, who will also be making his second appearance at the World Champs, told this agency he will be using the experience gained last year in Paris to get himself into the finals of his events.
“Last year, I gained a lot of experience at the world championships. This was a valuable learning opportunity, and I have been using it to improve my skills. As I prepare to go to Kobe, I am optimistic about my chances of running in the finals of my events, even though it won’t be easy as competition is tough,” he said.
Meanwhile, Amadhila who will be making his first appearance at the World Champs, said he has been training hard and the time is right for him to gain more experience.
“Being at these games will allow me to compete against the top athletes in my category. My goal is to achieve better times, as I am still young and hungry to learn,” he said. Athletes who travelled for the world championships are Lahja Ishitile, Lahja lipinge, Johanna Benson, Ananias Shikongo, Johannes Nambala, Immanuel Bernardo, Chris Kinda, Denzel Namene, Bradley Murere, Leonard Amadhila and Petrus Karuli.
The guides for the trip are Even Tjiuiju, Sem Shimanda, Hatago Murere, Sydney Kamuaruuma, Filippus Paulus, Onesmus Nekundi and Riwaldo Goagoseb. The technical team includes Letu Hamhola, Michael Hamukwaya, T’Neil Young, Ruan Mocke and Belinda Oberholster. – Nampa