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magnificent. From one box to the other. Rooney! That is absolutely | :00:04. | :00:12. | |
fantastic. Rooney, he has scored! This is Wayne Rooney, with many | :00:12. | :00:22. | |
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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 77 seconds | :00:22. | :01:40. | |
The Paralympic Games - one of the largest international sporting | :01:40. | :01:50. | |
:01:50. | :01:54. | ||
Running alongside the Olympics, the Paralympics are open to people with | :01:54. | :02:04. | |
:02:04. | :02:07. | ||
physical disabilities from all over Car it estimates are the 2012 | :02:07. | :02:10. | |
Paralympic Games will be the most popular in history but it still has | :02:10. | :02:15. | |
some way to go to rival the Olympic Games. Take Kenya as a country, for | :02:16. | :02:20. | |
example. Everybody can name their middle and long-distance runners | :02:20. | :02:25. | |
from history, Kip Keino, David Rudisha, but did you also know | :02:25. | :02:30. | |
Kenya has produced 36 Paralympic medallist? I am ashamed to say I | :02:30. | :02:40. | |
:02:40. | :02:42. | ||
cannot name a single one. So I'm off to find out more about some of | :02:42. | :02:45. | |
those who've been inspired by the Paralympics in Kenya, and to see | :02:45. | :02:48. | |
what opportunities it can provide. I meet the man wheeling himself | :02:48. | :02:52. | |
across Africa to raise money for Kenya's first spinal rehab centre. | :02:52. | :02:55. | |
I catch up with blind runner and four times Paralympic medallist, | :02:55. | :03:03. | |
Henry Wanyoike. And I join polio survivor and schoolboy Alex, as he | :03:03. | :03:06. | |
prepares to leave his village and travel all the way to London to see | :03:06. | :03:16. | |
:03:16. | :03:23. | ||
I touch down in the capital, Nairobi, where I'm met by my guide, | :03:23. | :03:33. | |
:03:33. | :03:36. | ||
Ibrahim Wafula. Hello, nice to meet you. Last time I was in Nairobi I | :03:37. | :03:43. | |
came with my father. I was -- it was 20 years ago. It is very | :03:43. | :03:52. | |
different now. I can hardly remember it. It does look different. | :03:52. | :03:57. | |
Taxi drivers are crazy. Wafula or One Leg' as he likes to be known is | :03:57. | :04:04. | |
something of a legend in Nairobi. He lost his leg in a car accident | :04:04. | :04:07. | |
when he was seven years old, and taught himself to drive by pressing | :04:07. | :04:14. | |
his crutch onto the accelerator! Today his taxi is automatic, and he | :04:14. | :04:22. | |
negotiates Nairobi's traffic with ease. Do you find the people you | :04:22. | :04:32. | |
:04:32. | :04:33. | ||
pick up in your taxi are disabled? No, I pick up everybody. They like | :04:33. | :04:43. | |
:04:43. | :04:43. | ||
me because if they need me they'd call me, one leg, where you? | :04:43. | :04:51. | |
says the best way to seek Nairobi isn't on four wheels, it's on to. - | :04:51. | :05:01. | |
:05:01. | :05:01. | ||
- two. For Wafula is also a competitive cyclist. In his first | :05:01. | :05:04. | |
race he finished 20th, out of 200 able-bodied cyclists. He went on to | :05:04. | :05:07. | |
win the disabled category in the Nairobi cycling marathon, and he | :05:07. | :05:17. | |
:05:17. | :05:21. | ||
How do you feel when you're cycling around? First of all, really happy, | :05:21. | :05:29. | |
because I feel like I have another leg. Because bike is my transport. | :05:29. | :05:39. | |
I feel happy. Was it ever your dream to go to the Paralympics as a | :05:39. | :05:49. | |
:05:49. | :06:00. | ||
UN to Colombia to race. For the championship. You have to qualify. | :06:00. | :06:10. | |
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Do you watch the parapet on TV? -- Paralympics. It makes me happy. I | :06:25. | :06:30. | |
never give up, because I know one day if I get the support I will go. | :06:30. | :06:39. | |
Wafula's determination is clear to see. But his story is all too | :06:39. | :06:49. | |
:06:49. | :06:53. | ||
The cost of participation and the specially adapted equipment often | :06:53. | :06:56. | |
required can make it hard for people in the developing world to | :06:56. | :07:06. | |
:07:06. | :07:29. | ||
Thank you. You're welcome. You are But one man who has qualified for | :07:29. | :07:31. | |
London 2012 is Henry Wanyoike, captain of the Kenyan Paralympic | :07:31. | :07:41. | |
Team. Henry lost his sight after suffering a stroke 17 years ago. | :07:41. | :07:51. | |
:07:51. | :07:57. | ||
Now, his running partner Joseph is Hi, Matthew. Nice to meet you. And | :07:58. | :08:01. | |
I caught up with Henry as he limbered up for the Parkland Sports | :08:01. | :08:11. | |
:08:11. | :08:12. | ||
Club half marathon. How fast are you going to run today? We've never | :08:12. | :08:15. | |
done this course so we are going to see where we need to polish. | :08:15. | :08:25. | |
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Muggins was given the honours of The runners set off at a fair lick. | :08:30. | :08:35. | |
I ran the London marathon in 2011 in just over four hours. These guys | :08:35. | :08:41. | |
were on track to run today's half marathon in just over an hour. No | :08:41. | :08:51. | |
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comparison! So this is the halfway point. We're expecting the runners | :08:51. | :09:01. | |
:09:01. | :09:02. | ||
to get here anytime they have to get a stamp and retrace their steps. | :09:03. | :09:09. | |
They have to prove they have been here. They go back that way to the | :09:09. | :09:19. | |
:09:19. | :09:26. | ||
Henry was the only blind runner competing in the race. He's linked | :09:26. | :09:30. | |
to Joseph's wrist by a short piece of string, and Joseph describes the | :09:30. | :09:33. | |
course to Henry as they go along letting him know if there's an | :09:33. | :09:43. | |
:09:43. | :09:45. | ||
uphill, downhill or water stop Well done. We reckon he reached the | :09:45. | :09:54. | |
turn in about 45 minutes, maybe 40 minutes. That's quite good. He is | :09:54. | :10:00. | |
on for a good time. The winner had already crossed the finish line in | :10:00. | :10:03. | |
one hour and eight seconds. If Henry's previous track record was | :10:03. | :10:13. | |
:10:13. | :10:17. | ||
anything to go bike I knew he couldn't be far behind. Henry set | :10:17. | :10:20. | |
the world records for the marathon and half marathon in Sydney, he won | :10:20. | :10:24. | |
gold in the 10K and 5K in Athens, and won a further bronze in Beijing. | :10:24. | :10:34. | |
:10:34. | :10:35. | ||
Now though, the target is London. How was it? It was good. One hour, | :10:35. | :10:41. | |
18, that is great. For a course you didn't know. Do you both get | :10:41. | :10:51. | |
:10:51. | :10:53. | ||
certificates? You they deserve them. After my first victory in Sydney, | :10:53. | :10:56. | |
my life began to change, because I was now able to accept myself fully. | :10:56. | :11:01. | |
I was now able to know there were so many things I could do. And now, | :11:01. | :11:05. | |
with my friend Joseph, my eyes, we've been able to compete in able- | :11:05. | :11:07. | |
bodied marathons like Hong Kong, and win Sports Personality of the | :11:07. | :11:17. | |
:11:17. | :11:32. | ||
This is from the world championships. For beating the | :11:32. | :11:42. | |
:11:42. | :11:50. | ||
world record. And this is from For Zack Kimotho, change isn't | :11:50. | :11:53. | |
coming quickly enough, and he's leaving Kenya to try to get | :11:53. | :11:56. | |
treatment for his disability elsewhere. I'm going to see if I | :11:56. | :11:59. | |
can catch up with him! I have read about his story and it has got me | :12:00. | :12:04. | |
grip. He is taking himself from Nairobi to South Africa, 4,000 | :12:05. | :12:09. | |
kilometres, he has been going for one month and he has done 200 so | :12:09. | :12:14. | |
far. This will take years of his life. The reason it is taking so | :12:14. | :12:18. | |
long is he is doing it in a wheelchair. He is going to South | :12:18. | :12:23. | |
Africa for treatment and the nearest spinal rehab unit is in | :12:23. | :12:28. | |
South Africa, and on the way he wants to raise money to try and | :12:28. | :12:33. | |
build one for Kenyans here in Nairobi. So that other people don't | :12:33. | :12:43. | |
:12:43. | :12:43. | ||
have to travel so far for the same We are looking for somebody called | :12:43. | :12:49. | |
Zack in a wheelchair? Have you seen him? I have stopped off in a | :12:49. | :12:54. | |
roadside town to ask if anybody has seen him. I think we will carry on, | :12:54. | :12:58. | |
have a further look down this way. The remark on the website is that | :12:58. | :13:06. | |
he has done 200 kilometres and we haven't quite done that. He passed | :13:06. | :13:11. | |
here three weeks ago. Do you know where he is now? He is on the road, | :13:11. | :13:19. | |
going from Nairobi. You have heard of him. South Africa. You have | :13:20. | :13:29. | |
:13:30. | :13:30. | ||
heard of him. Two weeks ago. They have definitely seen him, | :13:30. | :13:40. | |
:13:40. | :13:44. | ||
definitely means he is further that That looks like him. Definitely a | :13:44. | :13:54. | |
:13:54. | :14:03. | ||
Got to be him. Hello. How are you? I am good. How has it been so far? | :14:03. | :14:09. | |
Good, challenging, but rewarding. You see people coming out to | :14:09. | :14:19. | |
support you. Zach was working as a veterinary surgeon in Nairobi in | :14:19. | :14:27. | |
2004 when he became the victim of a vicious car-jacking. The bullet | :14:27. | :14:35. | |
entered and it cut across my spine to decide. Things are happening, | :14:35. | :14:40. | |
and happening fast. Somebody in front of the bonnet, somebody | :14:40. | :14:49. | |
telling me to move and a guy shot. Kenya has one of the highest rates | :14:49. | :14:53. | |
of spinal injury cases in the world. Zack is hoping through his epic | :14:53. | :14:55. | |
journey he can raise enough money to build a dedicated rehabilitation | :14:55. | :14:58. | |
centre in Nairobi. He's already raised half a million pounds. His | :14:58. | :15:05. | |
target is two million. What's the traditional attitude to a disabled | :15:05. | :15:10. | |
person in Kenya? Unfortunately, when somebody has a disability at | :15:10. | :15:20. | |
:15:20. | :15:21. | ||
home, people want to hide it. They think people have been cursed with | :15:21. | :15:31. | |
:15:31. | :15:35. | ||
misfortune. All bewitched. They don't want to come muck. It becomes | :15:35. | :15:45. | |
:15:45. | :15:46. | ||
quite a problem. We want to cut that stigma, this one of hiding | :15:46. | :15:49. | |
people. What do you know of the Paralympics? What do they mean in | :15:49. | :15:55. | |
Kenya? Unfortunately for us we just look at the Olympics and | :15:55. | :15:59. | |
immediately you say "para", people don't seem to have the hype. It's a | :15:59. | :16:09. | |
:16:09. | :16:22. | ||
big challenge. Knowing these other Is this normal speed? Yes, this is | :16:22. | :16:32. | |
:16:32. | :16:32. | ||
Apology for the loss of subtitles for 77 seconds | :16:32. | :17:44. | |
It is always pulling to the left Some 300 miles away in the | :17:44. | :17:47. | |
foothills of Mount Elgon, another young man is preparing to make the | :17:47. | :17:56. | |
trip of a lifetime - all the way to London to watch the Paralympics. | :17:56. | :18:01. | |
21-year-old Alex is in his final year at Bishop Okiring Secondary. | :18:01. | :18:03. | |
The school, which has produced several athletics champions, has | :18:03. | :18:06. | |
been taking part in an Olympic schools twinning project with the | :18:06. | :18:16. | |
:18:16. | :18:21. | ||
BBC and British Council called World Class. After filming at the | :18:21. | :18:24. | |
school for World Class, we were so inspired by Alex's story we invited | :18:24. | :18:27. | |
him to visit London with his head- teacher to see what the Paralympics | :18:27. | :18:37. | |
are all about. It was one morning the teacher told me that we're | :18:37. | :18:47. | |
:18:47. | :18:56. | ||
going to the Kisumu to apply for The journey is poignant, as Alex | :18:56. | :19:02. | |
had polio as a child and walks with a stick. He struggles around the | :19:02. | :19:07. | |
muddy tracks near his school and he has barely left his village before. | :19:08. | :19:17. | |
:19:18. | :19:25. | ||
Today he is shopping for supplies for the trip with his head teacher. | :19:25. | :19:32. | |
You must be Alex. Yes. How are you? I feel like I know you, I have | :19:32. | :19:39. | |
watched your film. I'm very happy. Do you know why? Come on? I'm going | :19:39. | :19:48. | |
to London. I know that. And you got a pass port? Yes. It is a big | :19:48. | :19:54. | |
challenge? Can you see it. This is you. It is wonderful. You had to | :19:54. | :20:01. | |
get a birth certificate and all the forms filled in and now this is | :20:01. | :20:07. | |
yours. Yes. Very shiny. Alex was three years old when he contracted | :20:07. | :20:10. | |
polio. The virus left Alex's left leg deformed and his right arm with | :20:11. | :20:14. | |
little use. At the time, there was no access to the polio vaccine in | :20:14. | :20:17. | |
his village. If there had been it might have been a different story | :20:17. | :20:27. | |
:20:27. | :20:29. | ||
for Alex. Kenya is currently polio- free, but there are still children | :20:29. | :20:34. | |
who haven't had the vaccine. Alex and I headed along to the Health | :20:34. | :20:41. | |
Centre in Kimilili, to meet some of them. As part of the latest health | :20:41. | :20:44. | |
drive, Martha and her team are aiming to innoculate 500 more | :20:44. | :20:54. | |
:20:54. | :20:57. | ||
children over the next five days. One of those can do six or eight | :20:57. | :21:07. | |
:21:07. | :21:08. | ||
children with one? 20 doses in one vial? OK. It has to be kept cool? | :21:08. | :21:18. | |
Cool all of the time. We mark on the left index finger with this pen. | :21:18. | :21:28. | |
:21:28. | :21:28. | ||
So it has to go slightly above the skin. Alex helped mark each child's | :21:28. | :21:38. | |
:21:38. | :21:39. | ||
finger to show they had the vaccine. Is they don't repeat it. When you | :21:39. | :21:43. | |
were young, you didn't have that innoculation. Yes. How does that | :21:43. | :21:48. | |
make you feel. If I had been given the vaccine, I think my life would | :21:48. | :21:56. | |
have been a different one. I would be somewhere some place working | :21:56. | :22:06. | |
:22:06. | :22:06. | ||
as... And acquiring my own... My own needs. But as from now, because | :22:06. | :22:15. | |
things have gone like that... I'm afraid that maybe God has a purpose | :22:15. | :22:21. | |
over my life. What school, what is your dream? Your mum's farmer. You | :22:21. | :22:27. | |
have come from a very rural village. And a poor backgrounds, yes. | :22:27. | :22:33. | |
tell me after school, what is going to happen in in your life, what is | :22:33. | :22:38. | |
your dream? My dream in my life, I'm dreaming to be to be a lawyer. | :22:38. | :22:47. | |
That is my dream. Have you heard about the Paralympics? It is my | :22:47. | :22:57. | |
:22:57. | :23:12. | ||
first time hearing about the After 48 hours travelling, and | :23:12. | :23:15. | |
Alex's first trip in an aeroplane, he arrived in London with his head | :23:15. | :23:25. | |
teacher. Alex and Naboth couldn't wait to see the city for themselves. | :23:25. | :23:30. | |
Alex, how was the flight? My flight was very nice! Now you're in London. | :23:30. | :23:37. | |
You like the look of it so far? We have decided the best way to see | :23:37. | :23:42. | |
London and understand the going if I and the history is one of these | :23:42. | :23:52. | |
:23:52. | :23:54. | ||
buses to have a journey rounds. Thank you. This is the beginning of | :23:54. | :24:03. | |
the houses of Parliament. It looks like a cave. Like a cast snl Yes. | :24:03. | :24:13. | |
At the other end that is Big Ben, the clock. The famous clock. Wow! | :24:13. | :24:23. | |
:24:23. | :24:23. | ||
That is great. With just a couple of days to go before the opening of | :24:23. | :24:26. | |
the Paralympic Games, there was one thing Alex wanted to do more than | :24:26. | :24:36. | |
:24:36. | :24:37. | ||
ever - and that was to have a go at some Paralympic sports. Mark Hall | :24:37. | :24:39. | |
Sports club in Harlow runs wheelchair basketball for disabled | :24:39. | :24:49. | |
:24:49. | :25:03. | ||
Neither I nor Alex had played before, and Alex seemed to be more | :25:03. | :25:13. | |
:25:13. | :25:27. | ||
What is wrong with that? One of the club's star members is Anne Wafula. | :25:27. | :25:30. | |
Born in a village not far from Alex's home in Kenya, Anne also had | :25:30. | :25:34. | |
polio as a child. She went on to become the first East African to | :25:34. | :25:37. | |
compete in wheelchair racing at the Paralympics in Athens, and now | :25:37. | :25:42. | |
races for Great Britain. I don't want you to call yourself a victim. | :25:42. | :25:47. | |
You should look at yourself as a survivor. You have survived polio | :25:47. | :25:53. | |
to be here now. As a survivor, Alex, you should be looking for | :25:53. | :25:56. | |
opportunities, not sympathy from the community. Now you need to tell | :25:56. | :26:00. | |
your community that I am Alex and this is what I'm capable of, this | :26:01. | :26:06. | |
is what I do. So therefore, give me the opportunity and I will show you | :26:06. | :26:15. | |
what I can give to the community. This is swimming. Up that way is | :26:15. | :26:18. | |
basketball. Tonight we have got tickets to go into the stadium. | :26:18. | :26:24. | |
That white building there. Final think moment which Alex had been | :26:24. | :26:27. | |
waiting for. Fantastic. Before we go in, there is one person I want | :26:27. | :26:37. | |
:26:37. | :26:37. | ||
you to meet. Who is that? Come this way. Henry. How are you this is | :26:37. | :26:41. | |
Matthew again. This is Alex. I don't think you have met Alex | :26:41. | :26:50. | |
before. What do you feel when you're competing? Do you feel like | :26:50. | :26:59. | |
you are so exhausted and tired. me tell you Alex it's a good | :26:59. | :27:03. | |
feeling when you're in such a big competition like the Paralympics | :27:03. | :27:10. | |
like now in London. What can you advise people with disability in | :27:10. | :27:17. | |
Kenya, because they're also suffering and yet we're enjoying is | :27:17. | :27:21. | |
here. What can your advise our friends who are disabled in Kenya. | :27:21. | :27:25. | |
Message I have always been giving to people with disabilities in | :27:25. | :27:32. | |
Kenya is that they need to accept themselves. They also need to not | :27:32. | :27:37. | |
feel shy about their disability. When you're open and when you have | :27:37. | :27:43. | |
a positive minds, people are willing to support and you must go | :27:43. | :27:48. | |
for your dream. Because you cannot see the way for success to come and | :27:48. | :27:53. | |
look for you and go for that success. And you work hard and you | :27:53. | :27:58. | |
keep focused and you... Then you have that determination and you | :27:58. | :28:06. | |
should not give up easily. May I wish you good luck in your marathon. | :28:06. | :28:11. | |
I will do my best. I will remember you when I will be running. Thank | :28:12. | :28:16. | |
you. Thank you. So Alex, two important things. One you will need | :28:16. | :28:21. | |
a ticket. Thank you. Second, I have got the camera to take some good | :28:21. | :28:31. | |
:28:31. | :28:32. | ||
Apology for the loss of subtitles for 77 seconds | :28:32. | :29:39. | |
shots for your photo album. Let's It has been fantastic for us. To | :29:39. | :29:44. |