Kenya shines at Deaflympics with Lucas Wandia’s historic 3rd gold and Rono’s 800m win
Kenya storms Tokyo Deaflympics with 10 medals so far, led by Lucas Wandia’s historic 3,000m steeplechase gold and Elikana Rono’s 800m title defence.
Kenya's Lucas Wandia made history at the Tokyo Deaflympics on Sunday, winning his third consecutive gold in the men's 3,000m steeplechase, despite a mid-race fall, finishing in 9:06.95.
Jacob Kibet took silver with a time of 9:09.16, while China's Xu Kuantian claimed bronze in 9:09.88.
With this victory, Wandia joins Kenya's most decorated deaf athletes, becoming only the third Kenyan to win three consecutive golds in the men's 3,000m steeplechase at the Deaflympics, after Symon Kibai and Daniel Kiptum.
Wandia first earned silver in Bulgaria in 2013 before winning back-to-back golds in Turkey (2017) and Brazil (2022).
"Before leaving Kenya, I had promised to go back with a medal. I'm happy to win a gold medal and defend my title for the third time in a row," Wandia told the Nation, adding that the mid-race fall affected his chances of breaking the world record.
Meanwhile, Elikana Rono also successfully defended his men's 800m title, clocking 1:53.02 in a close finish, with Japan's Kousei Higuchi second and Czech Dalibor Tulak third.
"The competition was tough, with just about 100m left, I decided to give my best to win. I have won by a small margin, but I'm happy to have done it," Rono said.
Kenya has made a strong start at the games, securing a total of 10 medals so far: four gold, three silver, and three bronze.
Standout performances include Ian Wambui’s gold in the men's 10,000m, James Musembi’s victory in the 1,500m, and a silver in the 4x400m mixed relay from Isaac Atima, Linet Fwamba, Simon Menza, and Beryl Wamira.
On the women's side, Serah Kimani and Sharon Bitok earned bronze in the 10,000m and 1,500m, respectively.
The Tokyo games are set to conclude on November 26, 2025, giving Kenya more opportunities to add to its medal tally.
Kenya is competing in five disciplines: athletics, women's basketball, men's handball, golf, and swimming.
Nairobi had initially planned to participate in 12 events, but budget constraints forced the withdrawal of seven teams — women's football, bowling, badminton, tennis, table tennis, cycling, and women's volleyball.
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