Para powerlifter Hellen Wawira will be up against four other athletes for the 2022 Sportswoman Living with Disability award.
The winner will be declared during the 19th edition of Sports Personality of the Year (SOYA) Gala on January 20 this year at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Wawira will battle Paralympian Nancy Chelagat and Deaflympics athletics trio of Beryl Wamira, Linnet Nanjala and Serah Wangari for the coveted award.
Wawira was the only person outside athletics to win a medal for Kenya at the Commonwealth Games held July 28 to August 9, last year in Birmingham, England.
Kenya has collected 21 medals; six gold, five silver and 10 bronze at the “Club” Games with Wawira claiming one of the bronze.
Wawira collected 98.5 points to settle third behind Britons Zoe Newson and Olivia Broome, who downed 102.2 and 100.0 points to claim gold and silver respectively in the lightweight competition.
Wawira had earlier won a gold medal in the world para powerlifting championship in St. Louis, USA with a scintillating lift of 98kg.
Chelagat with an apparent insatiable appetite for success in 2022, maintained her persistent campaign to clinch gold in the T11 400 metre during the 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix and 13th Fazza International Championship in Dubai.
Guided by her brother Geoffrey Rotich, Chelagat clocked in one minute and 04.25 seconds to win.
Chelagat, the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics bronze medalist, also claimed silver in the T11 1,500m race as Kenya swept all the podium places. Mary Waithera won gold with Nelly Nasimiyu taking bronze.
Wamira clinched silver in the 4x400m Relay and 4x400m mixed Relay at the Caxias Do Sul Deaflympics and settled for bronze in the 4x100m Relay and 200m at the same event.
Nanjala chalked up a silver medal in the 4x400m Relay and 4x400m mixed Relay in Caxius Do Sul.
Wangari, on the other hand, took the 10,000m silver in Brazil, opening Kenya’s medal count before clinching bronze in the 3,000m steeplechase.
The 2022 SOYA awards is sponsored by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Safaricom PLC, Lotto Foundation and Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC).
Sportswoman of the Year Living With a Disability SOYA Nominees:
Nancy Chelangat – Para-Athletics
Hellen Wawira – Para-lifter
Beryl Wamira – Deaf-Athletics
Linnet Nanjala – Deaf-Athletics
Serah Wangari – Deaf-Athletics
