{"id":16302,"date":"2021-08-24T15:51:33","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T15:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?p=16302"},"modified":"2021-08-24T15:40:50","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T15:40:50","slug":"inspirational-kukundakwe-steals-show-before-the-splash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/inspirational-kukundakwe-steals-show-before-the-splash","title":{"rendered":"Inspirational Kukundakwe steals show, before the splash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press<\/a> – Uganda<\/a>. <\/strong><\/span>David Emong is Uganda\u2019s biggest para-athlete. The Rio 2016 Silver medallist and London 2017 world champion demands that attention.<\/p>\n

As Emong arrived here yesterday for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, he found Husnah Kukundakwe attracting attention at par with more illustrious counterparts.<\/p>\n

First, Kukundakwe is the youngest athlete competing here. She is 14 years old.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Kukundakwe sat alongside her para athlete heroes at a news conference ahead of the Games, which start today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I am sitting with movie stars,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n

They included Germany\u2019s long jump legend Markus Rehm, Italy\u2019s Paralympic wheelchair and fencing champion Beatrice Vio.<\/p>\n

Mexico\u2019s superstar powerlifter Amalia Perez, the USA\u2019s two-time Paralympian Matthew Stutzman and Japan\u2019s para taekwondo athlete OTA Shoka were also there.<\/p>\n

Vio and Stutzman are co-stars in a 2020 Netflix documentary, Rising Phoenix. The film conveys the stories of nine Paralympic athletes and their journeys in competition.<\/p>\n

It will be a major highlight of today\u2019s opening ceremony at Tokyo National Stadium.<\/p>\n

Inspiration<\/p>\n

Kukundakwe, who was born without a lower right arm, told a packed conference room that she wanted to inspire other young Ugandans to take up Para swimming.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I feel some kind of pressure on me as the only Para swimmer, but just getting the chance to be here, it is a dream come true. I am so happy right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can also show other young people, who want to participate in para sports, that they should go forward and believe in themselves. There were a lot of people who kept telling me that you can\u2019t reach this, but you can reach it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She will compete in women\u2019s 50m and 100m freestyle S9 as only the second-ever Paralympics swimmer from Uganda after Prossy Tusabe at the Sydney 2000 Games.<\/p>\n

Among Kukundakwe\u2019s \u201cmovie stars\u201d was 24-year-old Vio. She told the schoolgirl that she was around the same age when she was inspired to take up para sports.<\/p>\n

Vio had taken up fencing as a five-year-old and dreamed of competing in the Olympics, but in 2008, when she was 11, she contracted meningitis and lost her arms and legs.<\/p>\n

At the time, she was told competing in fencing would be \u201cimpossible\u201d but her dream came alive again when she visited the London 2012 Paralympic Games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sitting next to Husnah and I was about the same age as her when I was in London 2012,\u201d she said. \u201cI remember how amazing it was. I wanted to take up fencing again but was told it would be impossible, but I was determined to try.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll this row emotion came out when I won gold in Rio 2016 . I had lived and dreamed of fencing since I was five years old. I had wanted to compete in the Olympics but when I had my disease at 11, I started thinking about the Paralympics and I had finally achieved my dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paralympics titbits<\/b><\/p>\n

When do you sleep?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been four days since we arrived in Tokyo for the Paralympic Games starting today. In that time, the biggest challenge has been adjusting to the time zone. Nights can be daytime and vice versa. I can now say the bodies have grasped that. However, with the sun rising as early as 4am, you will find a multitude of athletes going through their morning workout before the daily Covid-19 sample collection that precedes breakfast. After that, many head to sports arenas to train as the inconvenience of the hot and humid weather strikes.<\/p>\n

USA throw down party<\/p>\n

There is always no surprise to find Team USA having the biggest contingent at any global sports event. Tokyo 2020 is no different. Team USA has 613 members this year. Of these, 294 are para-athletes. Organisers gave them an apartment block of their own within the Games Village. It is littered with the US flag. In the night, on Friday, this block had loud music as they partied away. Amidst the silence of the Covid-19 pandemic and concentration on the Games, the music was welcome to most. No complaints.<\/p>\n

*Compiled by Ismail Dhakaba Kigongo in Tokyo, Japan<\/b><\/p>\n

[email protected]<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. David Emong is Uganda\u2019s biggest para-athlete. The Rio 2016 Silver medallist and London 2017 world champion demands that attention. As Emong arrived here yesterday for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, he found Husnah Kukundakwe attracting attention at par with more illustrious counterparts. First, Kukundakwe is the youngest athlete competing here. She is 14 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":16301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,17],"tags":[233,240,234],"class_list":["post-16302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-sport","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-uganda","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\nInspirational Kukundakwe steals show, before the splash - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"David Emong is Uganda\u2019s biggest para-athlete. 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