Kenya at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Kenya made its Paralympic Games début at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany. The country sent four representatives (all men) to compete in archery, athletics, snooker and swimming. 1968 Great Britain Paralympic medalist John Britton who had migrated to Kenya and was representing the country at the 1972 Games won the country's first Paralympic medal, a gold in the men's 25 meter freestyle class 2 event in a world record time of 19.9 seconds.

Kenya at the
1972 Summer Paralympics
IPC codeKEN
NPCKenya National Paralympic Committee
in Heidelberg
Competitors4 in 4 sports
Medals
Ranked 25th
Gold
1
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
1
Summer Paralympics appearances

Team

Kenya made their Paralympic Games debut in Heidelberg, Germany.[1][2][3][4][5][6] They fielded a team of four men, the only time in their history that they sent only men to the Paralympic Games.[7] The team included archery, athletics and snooker competitor Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji, athletics competitors Kamau and Maurice Kamia, and swimmer John Britton.[8]

Medallists

Kenya won a single medal - a gold in swimming won by John Britton.[1][7][3] Britton had previously represented Great Britain at the 1968 Summer Paralympics where he had won several medals, but had immigrated to Kenya after those Games.[3] He also served as the Kenyan coach in Heidelberg.[9] In this period, he worked to establish a 40-bed hospital in the country for paraplegics as a result of an agreement between the British and Kenyan governments.[10][11] Following the 1972 Games, Britton moved to the United States to take up a teaching position at Northern Illinois University. He continued to live in the United States until his death in 2004 in Florida.[12]

Of the thirty-six medals Kenya had won as of 2010 at the Paralympic Games, this was not only the first but also the only one not to be won in athletics.[13]

Medal Name Sport Event Result
 GoldJohn BrittonSwimmingMen's 25 metre freestyle 219.9s (world record)

Archery
See also: Archery at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji competed in three sports in Germany, including archery. He was involved in one event, the Men's St. Nicholas Round Tetraplegic, where he did not medal.[8]

Athlete Event Place Ref
Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji Men's St. Nicholas Round Tetraplegic Did not medal [8]

Athletics
See also: Athletics at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Kenya had three athletes competing in athletics: or Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji, Kamau and Maurice Kamia.[8] All three competed in field events, the discus, javelin and shot put. Dhanji was in the 1B class, while Kamau was in the 2 class and Kamia was in the 4 class.[8]

Athlete Event Place Ref
Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji Men's Discus Throw 1B Did not medal [8]
Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji Men's Javelin 1B Did not medal [8]
Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji Men's Shot Put 1B Did not medal [8]
Kamau Men's Discus Throw 2 Did not medal [8]
Kamau Men's Javelin 2 Did not medal [8]
Kamau Men's Shot Put 2 Did not medal [8]
Maurice Kamia Men's Discus Throw 4 Did not medal [8]
Maurice Kamia Men's Javelin 4 Did not medal [8]
Maurice Kamia Men's Shot Put 4 Did not medal [8]

Snooker
See also: Snooker at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Dhanji competed in the men's tetraplegic snooker tournament, where he did not medal.[8]

Athlete Event Place Ref
Zulfikarali Salehmohamed Dhanji Men's Tournament Tetraplegic Did not medal [8]

Swimming
See also: Swimming at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

John Britton won Kenya's first Paralympic gold medal after winning the men's 25 meter freestyle class 2 event in a world record time of 19.9 seconds.[1][7][3][8]

Name Sport Event Result Place Ref
John BrittonSwimmingMen's 25 metre freestyle 219.9s (world record)  Gold [8]
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References
  1. "Kenya Paralympics - Rio 2016 Medals, Athletes & News". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  2. "Kenya". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  3. Brittain, Ian (2009-09-11). The Paralympic Games Explained. Routledge. ISBN 9781134023417.
  4. OCHIENG', ERICK. "THEY DARED TO DREAM: Kenya's Paralympics team head back home with heads held high". Standard Digital News. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  5. "More Sports: Broke government crushes Paralympians Rio dreams". sportsnewsarena.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  6. "Super human moment of pride and fame". Mediamax Network Limited. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  7. Committee, Alexander Picolin, International Paralympic. "IPC Historical Results Archive - Country Web". db.ipc-services.org. Archived from the original on 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  8. "Paralympic Results & Historical Records". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  9. "The Terre Haute Tribune from Terre Haute, Indiana · Page 24". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  10. "Spinal Cord Injuries - Comprehensive Management & Research". Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  11. "The Daily Chronicle from De Kalb, Illinois · Page 6". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  12. "John Britton's Obituary on Tampa Bay Times". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  13. Kenya at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
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