Kenya‘s Deaf Badminton Team Set to Compete at Tokyo Deaflympics, Driven by Medal Hopes
NAIROBI, kenya – Kenya will make its debut in deaf badminton at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, scheduled for November 15-26 in Japan, with a quartet of seasoned players aiming for a historic medal haul. The team comprises Titus Kiprop, 30, Joseph Kago, 33, Teresa Wambui, 32, and Maryline Wanjiru, 31.
The athletes will compete across all five disciplines: men’s and women’s singles,men’s and women’s doubles,and mixed doubles. Former national top seed in men’s doubles,Morgan Kirimi,now serves as head coach,overseeing a rigorous training schedule of three sessions per week at Pumwani Social Hall and Nairobi’s Jaffrey Sports Club.
Team captain Teresa Wambui expressed her excitement, stating, ”I feel very happy to be among the players who will represent the country internationally in deaf badminton for the first time. I aim to bring a medal back home.”
Wambui,born deaf in Kilifi County,transitioned to badminton in 2019 after playing football,finding a stronger passion for the sport. She and her teammates earned their places through trials held in Mombasa, and are graduates of the Karen Technical Training Institute for the Deaf.
To prepare for the competition, the team has been training alongside hearing players, a strategy Wambui believes has been invaluable. “competing with hearing players has been good exposure because they are better players,” she said. “The training has been very intense. We know the competition at the deaflympics will be tough, so we just have to keep going.”
Coach Kirimi, a Badminton world Federation (BWF) accredited international trainer currently pursuing a certificate course in sports coaching at the University of Nairobi, is optimistic about the team’s potential.”my target as a coach is to bring fame to the country. I am hoping to get some medals,” he stated.”The players are very keen to bring glory to the country because just recently we were told that if you win a gold medal,you will get Sh3 million,so every player is keen to get more package on that.”
