Deaflympics: Kenya Cycling Ace Bwire Ready To Strike Another Gold For Kenya In Japan
Kenya deaf cycling ace Brenda Bwire cruises through pathways to emerge champion of the fifth edition of Jubilee Live Free Race held in Nairobi on Sunday October 5, 2025. PHOTO/ KSFD
Mombasa based cyclist, who bagged triathlon gold in Turkey four years ago, won the Jubilee Live Free Race held in Nairobi on Sunday which she used to gauge her preparations ahead of Tokyo.
NAIROBI, Kenya- After bagging gold for the country in the Turkey triathlon championship in 2021, Brenda Bwire will be out for another golden exploits for Kenya globally this season.
The former Africa deaf triathlon champion will be flying the country’s flag high in cycling at the forthcoming Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, set for Japan on November 15-26.
Bwire is among the two cyclists, alongside Simon Njoroge, who punched their tickets to the thrilling Tokyo Summer Games after intense trials held at the historic Kasarani Stadium in August.
Her preparations for Tokyo are currently in top gear and just to prove how well set she is set, Bwire gauged her prowess at the Jubilee Insurance Grand Nairobi Bike Race held in the Kenyan capital on Sunday where she floored a large field to bag gold in the women’s deaf category.
“Winning this race today, and emerging champion in Turkey and Egypt (Africa championship) four years ago are proof enough that returning home with a medal from Tokyo is feasible,” Bwire told Standard Sports.
Kenya deaf cycling ace Brenda Bwire (Right) with Simon Njoroge who will captain the Kenya deaf cycling team at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics set for Japan on November 15-26, 2025. PHOTO/ KSFD
“Today, my target was a podium finish and I have achieved exactly that in style- by striking gold. I am very ready for the showpiece in Japan,” she declared, adding: “I have always trained hard and I will continue to do so until when we go to Tokyo.”
“I don’t want to make history for myself but for the whole nation as well and that is the reason I’m working hard to win that gold in Japan,” Bwire, who will be making her debut at the Deaflympics, highlighted.
The 33-year-old cycling ace ups her training every day on various streets of Nairobi as she gears up for the Deaflympic contest, her daily preparations involve long distance pedaling, endurance workouts, gym work, diet and nutrition.
“Sometimes, some battles are won in the mind, that’s why I’m also working and training my mind on my mental toughness, I need to be really focused to win that gold,” she underlined.
As a deaf cyclist, Bwire always encounters various challenges with her preparations for races, among them the lack of state-of-the-art equipment, limited sponsors and inadequate security on the roads while training alone.
Kenya deaf cycling ace Brenda Bwire (Left) shares light moments with a fellow cyclist after she emerged champion of the fifth edition of Jubilee Live Free Race held in Nairobi on Sunday October 5, 2025. PHOTO/ KSFD
“Unlike the hearing people, it’s hard for deaf people to exercise alone, we always need to have company around us, for example we need interpreters and those who could help out with the signages on the road.
“As deaf person, there is always a lot of confusion about which routes to use. We are always getting stuck and when training there is a lot of confusion on the road. Sometimes we don’t have someone guiding us. It is easy for the hearing people to know but for us it is a bit hard,” she said.
This year’s Deaflympics will mark the first time that Kenya is competing in cycling at the quadrennial games and Bwire reckons that being among the first two Kenyans to race at the Summer Games is a “great honour” to her.
“I am very much relieved that I will be going to Japan, I hope to make the moments even more memorable by winning a medal over there,” she said.
Bwire started cycling at 14 in Mombasa and has never looked back since then. Initially, she pedaled just for recreational purposes but after her interest grew in it, she joined cycling groups before embracing the sport while studying at the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) at the coastal town.
“I was just riding for leisure, then later on I joined groups and started thinking about taking cycling seriously. When I joined school, I felt motivated to do it as a sport.
“My mother started supporting me and ever since I have been cycling with my hearing colleague,” she narrated, revealing that the Tokyo competition will be her first-ever international race exclusively for deaf athletes.
The Uganda and Kenya deaf cycling team that took part in the fifth edition of Jubilee Live Free Race held in Nairobi on Sunday October 5, 2025. PHOTO/ KSFD
In 2021, she clinched a gold medal in a triathlon competition held in Turkey where she was the only deaf in the championship.
With exclusive deaf races not common in Kenya, Bwire has often competed alongside hearing cyclists, a practice she said has made her a better cyclist. However, it has come with its fair share of challenges.
On his part, the Kenya Deaf Cycling team head coach Steve Odongo has thanked the government for supporting the team ahead of Tokyo.
Odongo declared that his charges are ready for the competition saying: “We thank the State for giving us support so that we can go to the Deaflympics. We feel that we are very ready for it. We have prepared well and we are promising Kenyans to return home with the glittering gold medals.”
Brenda Bwire selected sporting achievements
2021: Gold- Africa Triathlon Championship – Egypt
2021: Gold: Turkey Triathlon Championship- Turkey
2021: Fourth- Africa Triathlon Zonal Championship- Watamu, Kenya
2022: Gold- Africa Triathlon Zonal Championship- Watamu, Kenya
2024: Sixth: Africa Triathlon Duathlon Cup- Nairobi, Kenya
2025: Gold- Jubilee Insurance Grand Nairobi Bike Race– Nairobi, Kenya (Deaf category)
