:00:04. > :00:12.magnificent. From one box to the other. Rooney! That is absolutely
:00:12. > :00:22.fantastic. Rooney, he has scored! This is Wayne Rooney, with many
:00:22. > :00:22.
:00:22. > :01:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 77 seconds
:01:40. > :01:50.The Paralympic Games - one of the largest international sporting
:01:50. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :02:04.Running alongside the Olympics, the Paralympics are open to people with
:02:04. > :02:07.
:02:07. > :02:10.physical disabilities from all over Car it estimates are the 2012
:02:10. > :02:15.Paralympic Games will be the most popular in history but it still has
:02:16. > :02:20.some way to go to rival the Olympic Games. Take Kenya as a country, for
:02:20. > :02:25.example. Everybody can name their middle and long-distance runners
:02:25. > :02:30.from history, Kip Keino, David Rudisha, but did you also know
:02:30. > :02:40.Kenya has produced 36 Paralympic medallist? I am ashamed to say I
:02:40. > :02:42.
:02:42. > :02:45.cannot name a single one. So I'm off to find out more about some of
:02:45. > :02:48.those who've been inspired by the Paralympics in Kenya, and to see
:02:48. > :02:52.what opportunities it can provide. I meet the man wheeling himself
:02:52. > :02:55.across Africa to raise money for Kenya's first spinal rehab centre.
:02:55. > :03:03.I catch up with blind runner and four times Paralympic medallist,
:03:03. > :03:06.Henry Wanyoike. And I join polio survivor and schoolboy Alex, as he
:03:06. > :03:16.prepares to leave his village and travel all the way to London to see
:03:16. > :03:23.
:03:23. > :03:33.I touch down in the capital, Nairobi, where I'm met by my guide,
:03:33. > :03:36.
:03:37. > :03:43.Ibrahim Wafula. Hello, nice to meet you. Last time I was in Nairobi I
:03:43. > :03:52.came with my father. I was -- it was 20 years ago. It is very
:03:52. > :03:57.different now. I can hardly remember it. It does look different.
:03:57. > :04:04.Taxi drivers are crazy. Wafula or One Leg' as he likes to be known is
:04:04. > :04:07.something of a legend in Nairobi. He lost his leg in a car accident
:04:07. > :04:14.when he was seven years old, and taught himself to drive by pressing
:04:14. > :04:22.his crutch onto the accelerator! Today his taxi is automatic, and he
:04:22. > :04:32.negotiates Nairobi's traffic with ease. Do you find the people you
:04:32. > :04:33.
:04:33. > :04:43.pick up in your taxi are disabled? No, I pick up everybody. They like
:04:43. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:51.me because if they need me they'd call me, one leg, where you?
:04:51. > :05:01.says the best way to seek Nairobi isn't on four wheels, it's on to. -
:05:01. > :05:01.
:05:01. > :05:04.- two. For Wafula is also a competitive cyclist. In his first
:05:04. > :05:07.race he finished 20th, out of 200 able-bodied cyclists. He went on to
:05:07. > :05:17.win the disabled category in the Nairobi cycling marathon, and he
:05:17. > :05:21.
:05:21. > :05:29.How do you feel when you're cycling around? First of all, really happy,
:05:29. > :05:39.because I feel like I have another leg. Because bike is my transport.
:05:39. > :05:49.I feel happy. Was it ever your dream to go to the Paralympics as a
:05:49. > :06:00.
:06:00. > :06:10.UN to Colombia to race. For the championship. You have to qualify.
:06:10. > :06:25.
:06:25. > :06:30.Do you watch the parapet on TV? -- Paralympics. It makes me happy. I
:06:30. > :06:39.never give up, because I know one day if I get the support I will go.
:06:39. > :06:49.Wafula's determination is clear to see. But his story is all too
:06:49. > :06:53.
:06:53. > :06:56.The cost of participation and the specially adapted equipment often
:06:56. > :07:06.required can make it hard for people in the developing world to
:07:06. > :07:29.
:07:29. > :07:31.Thank you. You're welcome. You are But one man who has qualified for
:07:31. > :07:41.London 2012 is Henry Wanyoike, captain of the Kenyan Paralympic
:07:41. > :07:51.Team. Henry lost his sight after suffering a stroke 17 years ago.
:07:51. > :07:57.
:07:58. > :08:01.Now, his running partner Joseph is Hi, Matthew. Nice to meet you. And
:08:01. > :08:11.I caught up with Henry as he limbered up for the Parkland Sports
:08:11. > :08:12.
:08:12. > :08:15.Club half marathon. How fast are you going to run today? We've never
:08:15. > :08:25.done this course so we are going to see where we need to polish.
:08:25. > :08:29.
:08:30. > :08:35.Muggins was given the honours of The runners set off at a fair lick.
:08:35. > :08:41.I ran the London marathon in 2011 in just over four hours. These guys
:08:41. > :08:51.were on track to run today's half marathon in just over an hour. No
:08:51. > :08:51.
:08:51. > :09:01.comparison! So this is the halfway point. We're expecting the runners
:09:01. > :09:02.
:09:03. > :09:09.to get here anytime they have to get a stamp and retrace their steps.
:09:09. > :09:19.They have to prove they have been here. They go back that way to the
:09:19. > :09:26.
:09:26. > :09:30.Henry was the only blind runner competing in the race. He's linked
:09:30. > :09:33.to Joseph's wrist by a short piece of string, and Joseph describes the
:09:33. > :09:43.course to Henry as they go along letting him know if there's an
:09:43. > :09:45.
:09:45. > :09:54.uphill, downhill or water stop Well done. We reckon he reached the
:09:54. > :10:00.turn in about 45 minutes, maybe 40 minutes. That's quite good. He is
:10:00. > :10:03.on for a good time. The winner had already crossed the finish line in
:10:03. > :10:13.one hour and eight seconds. If Henry's previous track record was
:10:13. > :10:17.
:10:17. > :10:20.anything to go bike I knew he couldn't be far behind. Henry set
:10:20. > :10:24.the world records for the marathon and half marathon in Sydney, he won
:10:24. > :10:34.gold in the 10K and 5K in Athens, and won a further bronze in Beijing.
:10:34. > :10:35.
:10:35. > :10:41.Now though, the target is London. How was it? It was good. One hour,
:10:41. > :10:51.18, that is great. For a course you didn't know. Do you both get
:10:51. > :10:53.
:10:53. > :10:56.certificates? You they deserve them. After my first victory in Sydney,
:10:56. > :11:01.my life began to change, because I was now able to accept myself fully.
:11:01. > :11:05.I was now able to know there were so many things I could do. And now,
:11:05. > :11:07.with my friend Joseph, my eyes, we've been able to compete in able-
:11:07. > :11:17.bodied marathons like Hong Kong, and win Sports Personality of the
:11:17. > :11:32.
:11:32. > :11:42.This is from the world championships. For beating the
:11:42. > :11:50.
:11:50. > :11:53.world record. And this is from For Zack Kimotho, change isn't
:11:53. > :11:56.coming quickly enough, and he's leaving Kenya to try to get
:11:56. > :11:59.treatment for his disability elsewhere. I'm going to see if I
:12:00. > :12:04.can catch up with him! I have read about his story and it has got me
:12:05. > :12:09.grip. He is taking himself from Nairobi to South Africa, 4,000
:12:09. > :12:14.kilometres, he has been going for one month and he has done 200 so
:12:14. > :12:18.far. This will take years of his life. The reason it is taking so
:12:18. > :12:23.long is he is doing it in a wheelchair. He is going to South
:12:23. > :12:28.Africa for treatment and the nearest spinal rehab unit is in
:12:28. > :12:33.South Africa, and on the way he wants to raise money to try and
:12:33. > :12:43.build one for Kenyans here in Nairobi. So that other people don't
:12:43. > :12:43.
:12:43. > :12:49.have to travel so far for the same We are looking for somebody called
:12:49. > :12:54.Zack in a wheelchair? Have you seen him? I have stopped off in a
:12:54. > :12:58.roadside town to ask if anybody has seen him. I think we will carry on,
:12:58. > :13:06.have a further look down this way. The remark on the website is that
:13:06. > :13:11.he has done 200 kilometres and we haven't quite done that. He passed
:13:11. > :13:19.here three weeks ago. Do you know where he is now? He is on the road,
:13:20. > :13:29.going from Nairobi. You have heard of him. South Africa. You have
:13:30. > :13:30.
:13:30. > :13:40.heard of him. Two weeks ago. They have definitely seen him,
:13:40. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:54.definitely means he is further that That looks like him. Definitely a
:13:54. > :14:03.
:14:03. > :14:09.Got to be him. Hello. How are you? I am good. How has it been so far?
:14:09. > :14:19.Good, challenging, but rewarding. You see people coming out to
:14:19. > :14:27.support you. Zach was working as a veterinary surgeon in Nairobi in
:14:27. > :14:35.2004 when he became the victim of a vicious car-jacking. The bullet
:14:35. > :14:40.entered and it cut across my spine to decide. Things are happening,
:14:40. > :14:49.and happening fast. Somebody in front of the bonnet, somebody
:14:49. > :14:53.telling me to move and a guy shot. Kenya has one of the highest rates
:14:53. > :14:55.of spinal injury cases in the world. Zack is hoping through his epic
:14:55. > :14:58.journey he can raise enough money to build a dedicated rehabilitation
:14:58. > :15:05.centre in Nairobi. He's already raised half a million pounds. His
:15:05. > :15:10.target is two million. What's the traditional attitude to a disabled
:15:10. > :15:20.person in Kenya? Unfortunately, when somebody has a disability at
:15:20. > :15:21.
:15:21. > :15:31.home, people want to hide it. They think people have been cursed with
:15:31. > :15:35.
:15:35. > :15:45.misfortune. All bewitched. They don't want to come muck. It becomes
:15:45. > :15:46.
:15:46. > :15:49.quite a problem. We want to cut that stigma, this one of hiding
:15:49. > :15:55.people. What do you know of the Paralympics? What do they mean in
:15:55. > :15:59.Kenya? Unfortunately for us we just look at the Olympics and
:15:59. > :16:09.immediately you say "para", people don't seem to have the hype. It's a
:16:09. > :16:22.
:16:22. > :16:32.big challenge. Knowing these other Is this normal speed? Yes, this is
:16:32. > :16:32.
:16:32. > :17:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 77 seconds
:17:44. > :17:47.It is always pulling to the left Some 300 miles away in the
:17:47. > :17:56.foothills of Mount Elgon, another young man is preparing to make the
:17:56. > :18:01.trip of a lifetime - all the way to London to watch the Paralympics.
:18:01. > :18:03.21-year-old Alex is in his final year at Bishop Okiring Secondary.
:18:03. > :18:06.The school, which has produced several athletics champions, has
:18:06. > :18:16.been taking part in an Olympic schools twinning project with the
:18:16. > :18:21.
:18:21. > :18:24.BBC and British Council called World Class. After filming at the
:18:24. > :18:27.school for World Class, we were so inspired by Alex's story we invited
:18:27. > :18:37.him to visit London with his head- teacher to see what the Paralympics
:18:37. > :18:47.are all about. It was one morning the teacher told me that we're
:18:47. > :18:56.
:18:56. > :19:02.going to the Kisumu to apply for The journey is poignant, as Alex
:19:02. > :19:07.had polio as a child and walks with a stick. He struggles around the
:19:08. > :19:17.muddy tracks near his school and he has barely left his village before.
:19:18. > :19:25.
:19:25. > :19:32.Today he is shopping for supplies for the trip with his head teacher.
:19:32. > :19:39.You must be Alex. Yes. How are you? I feel like I know you, I have
:19:39. > :19:48.watched your film. I'm very happy. Do you know why? Come on? I'm going
:19:48. > :19:54.to London. I know that. And you got a pass port? Yes. It is a big
:19:54. > :20:01.challenge? Can you see it. This is you. It is wonderful. You had to
:20:01. > :20:07.get a birth certificate and all the forms filled in and now this is
:20:07. > :20:10.yours. Yes. Very shiny. Alex was three years old when he contracted
:20:11. > :20:14.polio. The virus left Alex's left leg deformed and his right arm with
:20:14. > :20:17.little use. At the time, there was no access to the polio vaccine in
:20:17. > :20:27.his village. If there had been it might have been a different story
:20:27. > :20:29.
:20:29. > :20:34.for Alex. Kenya is currently polio- free, but there are still children
:20:34. > :20:41.who haven't had the vaccine. Alex and I headed along to the Health
:20:41. > :20:44.Centre in Kimilili, to meet some of them. As part of the latest health
:20:44. > :20:54.drive, Martha and her team are aiming to innoculate 500 more
:20:54. > :20:57.
:20:57. > :21:07.children over the next five days. One of those can do six or eight
:21:07. > :21:08.
:21:08. > :21:18.children with one? 20 doses in one vial? OK. It has to be kept cool?
:21:18. > :21:28.Cool all of the time. We mark on the left index finger with this pen.
:21:28. > :21:28.
:21:28. > :21:38.So it has to go slightly above the skin. Alex helped mark each child's
:21:38. > :21:39.
:21:39. > :21:43.finger to show they had the vaccine. Is they don't repeat it. When you
:21:43. > :21:48.were young, you didn't have that innoculation. Yes. How does that
:21:48. > :21:56.make you feel. If I had been given the vaccine, I think my life would
:21:56. > :22:06.have been a different one. I would be somewhere some place working
:22:06. > :22:06.
:22:06. > :22:15.as... And acquiring my own... My own needs. But as from now, because
:22:15. > :22:21.things have gone like that... I'm afraid that maybe God has a purpose
:22:21. > :22:27.over my life. What school, what is your dream? Your mum's farmer. You
:22:27. > :22:33.have come from a very rural village. And a poor backgrounds, yes.
:22:33. > :22:38.tell me after school, what is going to happen in in your life, what is
:22:38. > :22:47.your dream? My dream in my life, I'm dreaming to be to be a lawyer.
:22:47. > :22:57.That is my dream. Have you heard about the Paralympics? It is my
:22:57. > :23:12.
:23:12. > :23:15.first time hearing about the After 48 hours travelling, and
:23:15. > :23:25.Alex's first trip in an aeroplane, he arrived in London with his head
:23:25. > :23:30.teacher. Alex and Naboth couldn't wait to see the city for themselves.
:23:30. > :23:37.Alex, how was the flight? My flight was very nice! Now you're in London.
:23:37. > :23:42.You like the look of it so far? We have decided the best way to see
:23:42. > :23:52.London and understand the going if I and the history is one of these
:23:52. > :23:54.
:23:54. > :24:03.buses to have a journey rounds. Thank you. This is the beginning of
:24:03. > :24:13.the houses of Parliament. It looks like a cave. Like a cast snl Yes.
:24:13. > :24:23.At the other end that is Big Ben, the clock. The famous clock. Wow!
:24:23. > :24:23.
:24:23. > :24:26.That is great. With just a couple of days to go before the opening of
:24:26. > :24:36.the Paralympic Games, there was one thing Alex wanted to do more than
:24:36. > :24:37.
:24:37. > :24:39.ever - and that was to have a go at some Paralympic sports. Mark Hall
:24:39. > :24:49.Sports club in Harlow runs wheelchair basketball for disabled
:24:49. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:13.Neither I nor Alex had played before, and Alex seemed to be more
:25:13. > :25:27.
:25:27. > :25:30.What is wrong with that? One of the club's star members is Anne Wafula.
:25:30. > :25:34.Born in a village not far from Alex's home in Kenya, Anne also had
:25:34. > :25:37.polio as a child. She went on to become the first East African to
:25:37. > :25:42.compete in wheelchair racing at the Paralympics in Athens, and now
:25:42. > :25:47.races for Great Britain. I don't want you to call yourself a victim.
:25:47. > :25:53.You should look at yourself as a survivor. You have survived polio
:25:53. > :25:56.to be here now. As a survivor, Alex, you should be looking for
:25:56. > :26:00.opportunities, not sympathy from the community. Now you need to tell
:26:01. > :26:06.your community that I am Alex and this is what I'm capable of, this
:26:06. > :26:15.is what I do. So therefore, give me the opportunity and I will show you
:26:15. > :26:18.what I can give to the community. This is swimming. Up that way is
:26:18. > :26:24.basketball. Tonight we have got tickets to go into the stadium.
:26:24. > :26:27.That white building there. Final think moment which Alex had been
:26:27. > :26:37.waiting for. Fantastic. Before we go in, there is one person I want
:26:37. > :26:37.
:26:37. > :26:41.you to meet. Who is that? Come this way. Henry. How are you this is
:26:41. > :26:50.Matthew again. This is Alex. I don't think you have met Alex
:26:50. > :26:59.before. What do you feel when you're competing? Do you feel like
:26:59. > :27:03.you are so exhausted and tired. me tell you Alex it's a good
:27:03. > :27:10.feeling when you're in such a big competition like the Paralympics
:27:10. > :27:17.like now in London. What can you advise people with disability in
:27:17. > :27:21.Kenya, because they're also suffering and yet we're enjoying is
:27:21. > :27:25.here. What can your advise our friends who are disabled in Kenya.
:27:25. > :27:32.Message I have always been giving to people with disabilities in
:27:32. > :27:37.Kenya is that they need to accept themselves. They also need to not
:27:37. > :27:43.feel shy about their disability. When you're open and when you have
:27:43. > :27:48.a positive minds, people are willing to support and you must go
:27:48. > :27:53.for your dream. Because you cannot see the way for success to come and
:27:53. > :27:58.look for you and go for that success. And you work hard and you
:27:58. > :28:06.keep focused and you... Then you have that determination and you
:28:06. > :28:11.should not give up easily. May I wish you good luck in your marathon.
:28:12. > :28:16.I will do my best. I will remember you when I will be running. Thank
:28:16. > :28:21.you. Thank you. So Alex, two important things. One you will need
:28:21. > :28:31.a ticket. Thank you. Second, I have got the camera to take some good
:28:31. > :28:32.
:28:32. > :29:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 77 seconds
:29:39. > :29:44.shots for your photo album. Let's It has been fantastic for us. To