Lucas Wandia Wanjiru and Elikana Kiprop Rono won gold medals at the Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan, raising Kenya's total to four golds. Wandia defended his steeplechase title, while Rono triumphed in the 800m. These achievements have brought joy to Kenyans.
On Sunday, November 23, 2025, Lucas Wandia Wanjiru, Kenya's 36-year-old athlete, defended his Deaflympics title in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 9:06.95. He holds the event record of 9:04.82. He was closely followed by fellow Kenyan Jacob Kibet Kipkemoi at 9:09.16 and China's Kuant Xu at 9:09.88, with Joseph Gitau Ndungu finishing fourth at 10:18.32 among eight competitors.
This marks Wandia's fourth gold in the distance, following a silver in 2013 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and golds in 2017 in Samsun, Turkey, and 2022 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. "I have been praying to God a lot to achieve these successes. It's not easy work. Before leaving Kenya, I promised to bring back any kind of medal. I'm happy to return home with gold," Wandia said.
Elikana Kiprop Rono claimed gold in the 800m with 1:53.02, his second consecutive title. He was trailed by Japan's Kousei Higuchi at 1:53.22 and Czech Republic's Dalibor Tulak at 1:53.33. Brian Kosgei and John Koech placed fifth and sixth.
In other events, Stephen Okoth took 10th in javelin throw with 48.12m, and Hillary Chirchir finished with 43.94m in shot put. Sharon Bitok Jeptarus, 29, missed a medal by placing fourth in the 800m at 2:14.16. The 4x100m relay team of David Maina, Walter Kalebu, Simon Menza, and Paul Simiyu qualified for the final after the semi-final in 43.35 seconds.
Kenya now holds ninth place among 78 nations, with a total of 10 medals: four golds, four silvers, and two bronzes. Winners will receive Sh3 million for gold, Sh2 million for silver, and Sh1 million for bronze from the government.