Kahinga and Wanyonyi lead chase for 2025 Soya honours

Double Deaflympics champion Ian Wambui Kahinga and World Para Athletics javelin T13 silver medalist Sheila Wanyonyi are among personalities with disability nominated for top awards at 2025 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya).

The winners will be feted during the 2025 Soya gala set for April 10, at Uhuru Gardens. Kahinga claimed two historic gold medals in 10,000m and 5,000m and a world record in 5,000m at the Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics. He will battle four other athletes for the Sportsman with Disability Award.

Others eyeing men’s top accolades are Elkana Rono, Lucas Wandia, James Musembi and World Ability Games powerlifting gold medalist, Joash Otiende.

Kahinga clocked in 13:52.83 to storm to victory in the 5,000m, shattering both the Games’ and world records that had stood for more than a decade. The record of 14:02.90 was set by Kenyan legend Symon Kibai in 2013.

He orchestrated a Kenyan clean sweep in the event, with James Musembi taking silver in 14:15.28, and Nelson Kipkorir securing bronze in 14:43.35 at the Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium.

It was double gold for Kahinga after his victory in the 10,000m in 29:19.56 as compatriot, veteran David Kipkogei settled for silver in 29:27.63. Rono had to dig deep towards the end to retain his Deaflympics 800m title from 2021 Brazil in 1:53.02 before settling second in the 1,500m in 3:50.22, losing the battle to James Musembi in 3:45.61.

Wandia sealed a hat-trick when he led compatriot Jacob Kipkemoi Kibet to a 1-2 finish in the men's 3,000m steeplechase final at the Tokyo Deaflympics.

Wandia, 36, the winner in 2017 Turkey, and 2021 Brazil, clocked 9:06.95 as Kibet took silver medal in 9:09.16 Musembi, who made his debut at the national trials went on to be crowned the new Deaflympics men’s 1,500m champion in Tokyo in 3:45.61, beating compatriot Rono to second place in 3:50.22.

Otiende won a gold medal in the para powerlifting contest in the 65kgs during the inaugural World Ability Sports Games in Mersin, Turkey with three clean lifts. His best lift was 114kgs where his closest opponent from Croatia ValVerde Castro managed 108kgs.

Unlike the men’s award, which is dominated by medalists from the Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics, the women’s category is a good mix with great performances from World Para Athletics Championships and World Cup Powerlifting Championships.

Wanyonyi will battle fellow silver medalist from World Para Athletics Championships, Nancy Chelangat, multi-talented Stency Neema and World Cup Para Powerlifting silver medalists Hellen Wawira and Joyce Njuguna.

Wanyonyi broke her own Africa Record of 35.03m set during the World Para Athletics Grand Prix on February 13 last year. China’s Zhao Yuping, the world record holder and gold medalist from the Paris Paralympics, took gold in Delhi with 45.22m.

Chelangat claimed silver in the women's 1,500m final in season’s best 5:01.38 at the World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi, India.

Wawira settled for silver in women's up to 45kg at the Para Powerlifting World Cup Championships in Beijing, China in June, lifting 102 kilograms. She lost the battle to 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Paralympics champion, Guo Lingling with a lift of 124kg.

Njuguna lifted 105kg to settle for silver in women's up to 79kgs at the Para Powerlifting World Cup Championships as home lifter Han Miaoyu won with a lift of 130kg.

Neema won the women's 200m T47 final at the 2025 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai in 27.77 seconds.

Prior to the Grand Prix in Dubai she had won a gold medal in 200m in the qualifiers in Neema also gold in para badminton during the 2025 Para badminton international championship in Egypt besides two gold medals at the Africa Para Badminton Championship in Nigeria in the singles and doubles to qualify for the World Championship.