Paracyclists Ogada, Dennis fail to finish 127km road race in Paris

Paracyclist Kennedy Ogada failed to finish the 127km road race at the Paris 2024 Paralympics games to end Kenya’s medal hopes.

Ogada’s aborted mission saw Kenya finish with one silver medal overall in the summer para games.

Out of 14 para-athletes who flew Kenyan flag in five disciplines at the Paris 2024, Paralympic Games, only Samson Ojuka won silver in the long jump T37m, with a 6.20m jump, underscoring Kenya’s poor show in Paris.

Despite the poor show in the Paris, the result was a slight upgrade to Tokyo 2020 where Kenya managed one bronze medal, won by Nancy Chelangat in the 1500m T11.

This is be the second time Kenya failed to win a gold medal since the 1988 Seoul Paralympics.

Netherland's Tristan Bangma and pilot Patrick Bos clocked 2 hours 55:10 minutes to defended their Tokyo paracycling title.

Bangman’s compatriots Ter Schure Vincent guided by Fransen Timo grabbed silver in 2hours 55:12minutes, while French boys Eli De Carvalho and Mickael Giuchard completed the podium finish in 2 hours 55:18 minutes.

Ogada, a blind cyclist guided by former Kenya sevens International Oscar Dennis, found the going tough to record a DNS (Did not finish) with less than two laps to go.

Meanwhile, Argentina’s Gomez Maximiliano and Tolosa Sebastian Jose quit with less than one lap to go, while Britons Bate Stephen and Latham Christopher did not start.

Paralympics debutant Ogada and his new pilot Dennis had earlier finished 11th in the men's B1 time trials after clocking 47 minutes and 0.67 seconds. 

On Monday, debutant Mary Waithera and Nancy Chelagat finished fourth and fifth respectively in the women's 1,500m T11 finals race to see Kenya’s medal hopes fade as the track events concluded.

Kenya falls one step back to position 69 with two medals in the  world Paris table standings as China leads with 171 medals.

Great Britain comes in second with a total of 90 medals, while the USA rounds up the top three with 79 medals.

After Sunday’s closing ceremony at the Stade de France, Kenya’s Paralympics Team Manager Stanley Mutuma will have to analyse the games to establish the cause of the poor showing.