2024 Paralympics: powerlifter Wawira's hopes for a medal

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00:00With just a few weeks to go until the Paris Paralympic Games, this Kenyan powerlifter

00:07is ramping up her training.

00:08Helen Wawira Karyuki was born with spina bifida, a congenital malformation of the spine.

00:15However, she has never let her condition stop her from achieving her goals.

00:19I started the sport in 2015, after a powerlifter introduced me to it, and my journey so far

00:30has been good.

00:33The sport has helped me to have courage, which I did not have before."

00:39The 32-year-old was Kenya's flag bearer at the Tokyo 2021 Games, which saw her end up

00:45fifth.

00:46In 2022, she managed to secure Kenya's first medal outside of athletics at the Commonwealth

00:51Games in Birmingham, the UK.

00:54Scoring 98.5 points in the women's lightweight final, she took home the bronze.

01:00That same year, she bagged a gold medal at the World Para Powerlifting American Open

01:04Championships for the women's up to 41 kilo class.

01:08Today, as she eyes Paris 2024, she has one goal in mind, ending up on the podium.

01:15I'm competing on the 4th of September, and I'm hoping to win a medal, so I can say I'm

01:24hoping for the best, because anything can happen, and you never know, so I'm hoping

01:29for the best."

01:33For this year's edition of the Paralympics, Kenya will be sending 14 para-athletes who

01:37will compete across five disciplines, six more than in Tokyo.

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