Chepchirchir, Kiprop Shine with Double Victories at Rift Valley Special Olympics Trials

Esther Chepchirchir and Titus Kiprop registered double victories during the Rift Valley Special Olympics Kenya trials held at Hill School grounds in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on Saturday, November 14, 2026.

Chepchirchir and Kiprop swept the women’s and men’s 800m and 1,500m titles respectively as Special Olympics Kenya intensified preparations to select a competitive national team for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile, scheduled for October 16–24.

Mildred Mbula, the Special Olympics Kenya Initiative Project Officer, said the organisation was committed to assembling a quality team capable of flying the Kenyan flag high at next year’s global competition.

To achieve this, the organisation embarked on regional trials across the country, with the best-performing athletes expected to advance to the national trials scheduled for the first week of December 2026, where the final team will be selected.

“We are here to select the team to represent Rift Valley. We started the regional trials in Nairobi, went to Kilifi, Eastern and last week we were in Western, and now we are here for advancement to the national trials. At the national trials, we are aiming to select a team that will represent Special Olympics Kenya at the World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile,” said Mbula.

She noted that Special Olympics uses sports as a powerful tool to promote the inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities in society.

“We have seen improvement, with quality performances among the players since we had such an exercise in 2022. This means that coaches are also doing well in terms of coaching these athletes to improve the quality of sport. We expect to have quality and experienced athletes for the global games,” she said.

Beach volleyball player Nicholas Kipchumba, who also serves as the athletes’ representative, expressed optimism that his Nandi team would perform well at the national trials and secure places in the squad travelling to Chile.

He said participating in the global competition would provide athletes with valuable exposure and opportunities to improve their lives through sport.

“As a team, we have hope that we shall perform well during the national trials and earn a ticket to travel to Chile. This will benefit us as players through exposure and opportunities to earn a living because sports have been good for us. I was elected as the chairman for Special Olympics, and this has really motivated me and all the players by giving them an opportunity to compete and interact with everyone. Sports benefit us globally,” said Kipchumba.

Uasin Gishu County Director of Special Needs Education Dr Charles Kisigot urged parents to embrace and support children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, saying they have the potential to excel in sports and other areas of life.

He challenged parents to give such children opportunities to develop their abilities, acquire life skills and lead independent lives.

“It is possible that through sports and other forms of education, they gain life skills. To all parents, these children have a right to life, a name and education, and to compete in social events like these ones,” he said.

Kisigot added that while some learners with intellectual and developmental challenges may experience difficulties in academic work, they can excel in other areas when given the right opportunities.

“Today, we have two pathways in the curriculum in Kenya. Sport is important to such children because they have been positively impacted. It has enabled us to have more learners in schools seeking assessment, which means we place them in various schools across Kenya. We provide guidance and, through sports, empowerment has gone far, with schools recording increased admissions,” he said.

Athletes competed in athletics, volleyball, beach volleyball, bocce and badminton during the Eldoret trials.

In athletics, competitors took part in the men’s and women’s 50m dash, 800m and 1,500m races, with Chepchirchir and Kiprop emerging as the outstanding performers on the track.

In bocce, Mary Wambui and Kevin Mburu claimed the women’s and men’s titles respectively, while Florida Jepchirchir emerged victorious in badminton.

Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet counties were crowned champions in the women’s and men’s Unified Volleyball competitions respectively.

The two counties also secured direct qualification in Unified Beach Volleyball after the competitions failed to attract the required number of participating teams.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *