{"id":16455,"date":"2021-08-26T17:15:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T17:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?p=16455"},"modified":"2021-08-26T16:58:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T16:58:01","slug":"oroma-not-scared-of-first-cut-at-para-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/oroma-not-scared-of-first-cut-at-para-games","title":{"rendered":"Oroma not scared of first cut at Para-Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press<\/a> – Uganda<\/a>. <\/strong><\/span>Joyce Abalo will never be able to watch her daughter, Peace Oroma, do her thing on the track. Abalo, 49, is blind. Her husband, 57-year old Francis Nyeko, is a peasant farmer in the northern Uganda district of Gulu with no television set of his own.<\/p>\n

However, when Oroma makes her bow at the National Stadium here in Japan at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, she is hoping to make them proud, along with millions of Ugandans. \u201cWhen I was young, my mum was normal,\u201d Oroma, herself visually impaired, starts. \u201cI don\u2019t know how she became blind. I remember, she left me with my dad and when I met her again in 2012, she was blind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meeting Cheptegei<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a fair reflection of an athlete who has beaten all the odds to make it to the grandeur of stages and habours a dream of meeting Uganda\u2019s long distance star Joshua Cheptegei. \u201cThey (parents) know that I am an athlete but they were surprised. My father first heard my name on radio while in the town in Gulu. One day, he told me: \u2018I heard about you while in town.\u2019 \u201cYou know, when you see me physically, you don\u2019t expect anything,\u201d Oroma says of her miniature frame after a workout with coach James Ssenkungu outside the Games Village here in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

These Games, the Paralympics, have so many unique stories for athletes who are just happy to get a chance to live a normal life. Oroma\u2019s is just one of those.<\/p>\n

Competition days<\/p>\n

Currently unranked, the Makerere University student will compete in the women\u2019s 100m T13 and 400m T13. The first is next Tuesday while the second is a week from today.<\/p>\n

Being here is in itself a huge success for a girl who has never had a normal life. \u201cWhen I was still young, like seven years, everyone started to realise that I couldn\u2019t see what was on the blackboard \u201cSo my entire life, I have not been writing, I just listen. I wait for notes and copy. When I reached Primary Seven, it (visual impairment) kept increasing up to now,\u201d she narrates.<\/p>\n

Damaged Cornea<\/p>\n

Oroma suffers from Keratoconus, an eye disease that affects the structure of the cornea, resulting in loss of vision. According to John Hopkins University, it occurs in approximately one in 2,000 individuals, typically beginning in puberty and progressing into the mid-30s.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly stages can be treated with glasses, but with progression of the disease into late childhood and early adulthood, corneal transplantation may be needed to restore sight. There is no known prevention for keratoconus,\u201d the medical journal states.<\/p>\n

Oroma is now 25 but was only properly diagnosed in 2016. At Makerere where she is studying for a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Meteorology, she is paired with the brightest student to guide her as lecturers have never had to deal with someone like her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn sports, the biggest challenge is finance. In school, what helped is that I am a government student under the disability scheme. Without it, I wouldn\u2019t do much.<\/p>\n

Proud as ever<\/p>\n

However, once the gun shot reverberates through the air next Tuesday, she will go after her new goals. \u201cI am very happy and proud to make it this far.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can say it\u2019s hard work. I have been working hard with my coaches, support from my friends and fellow athletes. All have inspired me a lot,\u201d Oroma says. \u201cI am not scared of anything now.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she quotes her times throughout, one she claims the first the media has accorded her, they are not verifiable and her Paralympic offers a chance to change that.<\/p>\n

This will only be her third international event after competing in Morocco (March, 2020) and Tunisia (March, 2021) .<\/p>\n

BRIEFLY<\/b><\/p>\n

Full Name: Peace Oroma<\/p>\n

Born: June 6, 1996) Age: 25<\/p>\n

Birthplace: Gulu Profession: Student<\/p>\n

Institution: Makerere University<\/p>\n

Course:<\/p>\n

Bachelor of Science in Meteorology<\/p>\n

Sports: Para-athlete (visually impaired)<\/p>\n

Discipline: Sprinting (100m T13 and 400m T13)<\/p>\n

Coach: Jameson Ssenkungu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. Joyce Abalo will never be able to watch her daughter, Peace Oroma, do her thing on the track. Abalo, 49, is blind. Her husband, 57-year old Francis Nyeko, is a peasant farmer in the northern Uganda district of Gulu with no television set of his own. However, when Oroma makes her bow […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":16454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,17],"tags":[233,240,234],"class_list":["post-16455","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":"\nOroma not scared of first cut at Para-Games - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Joyce Abalo will never be able to watch her daughter, Peace Oroma, do her thing on the track. Abalo, 49, is blind. 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