Kenya recovered from a tough week to clinch her first medal at the 24th Deaflympics Summer Games currently going on in Caxias Do Sul, Brazil.

Serah Kimani Wangari clocked 38:26:41 to clinch for Kenya a silver in the women's 10,000m on Sunday morning.

Grancy Kandagor, who was the favourite in the race, braved a nasty fall to land on a bronze medal in 38:38:93.

But Kenyan Winn Bugosi found the pace set by the other athletes and the weather too hot to handle and dropped out leaving Mexican Lourdes Ponce Juarez to pick gold in 38:06:59.

Read More

  1. Pelé, Brazilian football legend and global icon, dies aged 82 after battle with cancer
  2. Raila Odinga defends his Sh6,000 monthly stipend pledge if Azimio wins
  3. Coach Samuel Kibet confident Kenya will harvest medals at Summer Deaflympics

"I started well by leading almost in all the laps, but I slowed down towards the end. I think I got exhausted in the final lap, my finishing power was weak," Wangari said.

She was grateful that her efforts saw her finish the race in the medal bracket.

"I feel I really tried my best, I really worked to get this silver, I felt totally worn out in the final lap but my spirit kept telling me I could do it, so I held on to the tape," she added.

Wangari said the brutal cold weather in Brazil for her slower pace, mainly in the final lap.

"It was my first time competing in such a terribly cold environment, it made my knees weak, but I kept on assuring myself that I have a goal to reach, I'm glad I did it," Wangari intimated.

She expressed optimism of taking home a medal in the women's 5,000m on Saturday.

On her part, Kandagor said her fall and Bugosi bowing out saw the track conspire against their plan for a 1,2,3 finish in Brazil.

"The fall affected my momentum, I really tried to pick up myself but I could not get back to my initial rhythm. Nonetheless, I'm happy with the bronze," said Kandagor.

Head coach Samuel Kibet said Team Kenya is optimistic despite the flopped 1-2-3 finish plan.

"Our best girl Grancy was destined for gold, unfortunately she fell, but Wangari took up the challenge to give us silver. To me it's a worthy performance since its the first time that Kenya is getting medals in long distance in the women category,” he said.

He added, "I think that my girls put up a good show against a pool of strong competitors. I'm glad that we have finally opened the medals chapter in this Deaflympics. I'm confident the remaining categories, especially athletics, will have good performances in the coming days," Kibet added.

He blamed the athletes’ unexpected performance on the harsh unexpected weather.