Chris Kinda running for gold at upcoming paralympics

By Adolf Kaure.

Namibian para-athlete Chris Kinda, who together with his guide Kelvin Goagoseb won the 400m gold medal at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championship in Japan, is focused on becoming a Paralympic gold medallist.

“It felt like a dream at first. I asked my guide when we reached the finish line, how did we run and he said that he doesn’t know and I asked my fellow teammates and they told me that you guys won,” he said during an interview upon his return to Namibia.”

Kinda’s role model is 2016 Rio Paralympic gold medallist, Ananias Shikongo. The 25-year-old Kinda strives to match Shikongo’s feat, when the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games start in August.

“I also want to be like him one day to win a medal at the Para-Olympic Games. In everything that I do, I want to be known, I want to be known as the first person to be able to do that. So at least slowly but surely it is becoming true,” said Kinda.

Chris Kinda was born in Usakos with a rare eye disease known as Glaucoma. The impairment enabled him to see a bit of light vision, however in 2019 Kinda lost his eyesight completely.

This did not hamper the ambitious athlete from reaching his dreams as he continued training hard until moving to Swakopmund eight months ago after being discovered by athletics coach T’Niel Young, who works for the MTC Dome.

Kinda expressed his appreciation to Young, who he says has frequently urged him to be perform at his utmost best. “I want to say thank you to coach T’Niel, a very good coach. We are working hard for the Para-Olympic Games,” he said.

Young described Chris Kinda as a disciplined and hardworking athlete and sees him bringing home the paralympic gold medal. “He is very a resilient person and athlete. I am so proud of the way that he would handle adversity and how he would walk tall. If you see him slouch then it means I pushed him too hard, then he gets right up and gets on with it, that is how he handles life.”

“We are working to get the gold medal. It is his title,” said Young.

She challenged all athletes including those who are differently abled not to limit themselves when striving for their goals. “I would like to challenge other different-abled athletes and persons. Don’t stand back to society. You were created for a reason, you are there for a reason, wherever you may find yourself. There is something that you can do that contributes immensely to society. So never stand back to society because you look or are different from who they are,” she said.

Chris Kinda trains from ten to fourteen sessions per week at the Vineta Sports Field as well as the MTC Dome.

The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games start during August in France.