Life is a Circus.

Had a good weekend of racing over at Stoke Mandeville competing in the British Wheelchair Racing Association Grand Prix, an international meeting. Gloriously sunny weather for a Bank Holiday weekend, you'd think it was summer. My time in the 100m put me in the world's top four this year, and my 200m in the top eight - not bad for an old me -though it's early season and I'm sure the young girls will do super fast times as the season progresses. Still, it was great to meet up with all my racing friends once again, and I'm looking forward to the Swiss Championships later this month.

On Monday, the 'We Care Group' which is one of the projects of Olympia Wafula Foundation had a trip to the circus which was visiting Harlow. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and not an animal in sight! I was told that in the 'old days' there were mainly animals made to perform in a circus, elephants, lions, tigers, horses etc, but I'm happy those days are gone because animals should be seen in their natural environment.

It's been a week of ups and downs emotionally and I have longed for things to change. It has felt like I have no control over things but then I still know when I need to walk away. Keep walking and don't look back! Though we may get lost for a while, it's better to be lost than stranded. I am determined to grow as a person and overcome any obstacle that gets in my way!

Today it's my birthday and Tim, my son,made my day by bringing me breakfast in bed, toast, milk and fruit. I really did feel a tear in my eye and felt really proud. He'll make the girl he meets when he's grown up one lucky girl. As I ate, I remembered the baby girl who was born in a mud hut in Western Kenya, helped into the world by several traditional midwives, the fourth born child in my family, third girl. My mum's friend Annah was a wonderful singer who sang to me in the womb and I was named after her but was later changed to Anne. My African name is Naliaka, which means; 'born during the weeding season'. My dad also named me 'Olympia' which later in my life became very prophetic. I give thanks to God and my parents for the blessed life I have had so far, and long may it continue!!

I have received so many birthday wishes from friends and family -thank you all so much. It's a huge blessing - The more we celebrate our lives, the more there is in life to celebrate. Today, my son said  ".....it doesn't matter how old you are mum I love you". I jokingly said to him that the first hundred years are the hardest, to which he replied, "....I pray to God I will be here to help you blow out the candles". 

I am one blessed hot mama !! 

Back on Track.

Thanks to the gorgeous weather we had last week I managed to put in some quality training though not as much as I would've liked,  but it was certainly a big improvement on recent weeks and months. I even managed a couple of long runs  on the road and it was lovely to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.

A young boy I've been mentoring here in Harlow, Adam, took part in his second mini marathon and managed to do a PB. I was delighted for him. I can remember his mum, Karen, bringing him down to the track when he was only 9 years old and we sat him in my racing chair and his arms barely reached the push rims! It is a real blessing to watch youngsters such as Adam mature into great athletes.

I watched the London Marathon on TV and thanked God there was no repeat of the awful events in Boston the week before. My heart really goes out to all those people whose lives were wrecked by the cowardly actions of two very evil individuals. I was upset to see one of the world's top racers, Josh Cassidy, colliding with one of the elite female athletes. I think the organizers caused both of them the race due to poor planning. If the wheelchairs had been started first then that incident could have been easily prevented. I'm sure Josh will be back next year.

On Friday I was invited to spend time and motivate the young people and volunteers taking part in the Panathlon Challenge in Chelmsford, Essex, one of the 50 multi- sport competitions being held in 17 counties this year. I also presented the medals to these wonderful 'differently able' youngsters who really enjoyed taking part in New age curling,table cricket, boccia, and relay races that involved runners and electric and manual wheelchairs. I believe every child has the right to play and it doesn't matter about their limitations, physical or mental, there was something there they could participate in. There was so much love, passion and determination oozing from the youngsters faces that it was a joy to behold. It made me reflect and be reminded that the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and take it in.

 I ended my blessed Friday with a lovely meal with my very good friend. I'm sure we all have friends who bring the best out of us without even trying, and we love being in their company whether we are doing something exciting or watching the paint dry!  It was a fantastic way to start the weekend so I thank them for their great company. Life is great and we shouldn't let circumstances and society fool us into believing it's not. Sometimes being silly with a friend is the best thing and you don't always have to climb Mt.Kenya !!!

I woke up early on Saturday to prepare for the first track meeting of this season but it got off to a bad start when my taxi failed to show and another had to be organised quickly. It's not easy to find a car big enough to take my racing and day chairs but we managed. We arrived in Stoke Mandeville on time for me to take part in the BWAA Meeting, but the weather was DIRE. Rain, wind, more rain! Such a shame because it is one of the best tracks in the UK for wheelchair racing but the wind was illegal so none of the times were any good for qualifying. I did manage 3rd in 3 races, bus as the weather worsened I decided to cut my losses and head home before my final race. Things can only get better.

This morning I played the part of very proud mum when my son, Tim, played striker for his team, Parsloe Athletic U - 12, and scored a fantastic goal from thirty yards out that he hit so hard the pegs holding the net down jumped from their holes!!! They won 3 - 1, so very well done Tim from your very proud mum.

Olympic Stadium via Stoke Mandeville.

It has been a very tiring but very rewarding week for me. Last Sunday I  competed in the BWRA Championships at Stoke Mandeville. I was up at the crack of dawn for the long drive through the pouring rain, which didn't bode well for good times. However, when we actually got out onto the track the rain had stopped and  I felt really strong. I managed to get a personal best time of 31.1 secs in the 200m. I am really pleased with that because it shows that all the sweat and hard work have not been for nothing. All those hours out in the bad weather we all seem to be suffering from paid off today, but I feel I have more to give.


On Tuesday it was off to the new Olympic Stadium to take part in the Disability Athletics Challenge. I was going to do the 100m and 400m and as usual before a meeting I felt very nervous, though my nerves were tempered somewhat by the great privilege of having the opportunity to compete in such a great stadium before all the superstars get a chance. Usain Bolt eat ya heart out! My coach, Ken Day, is also good at calming me down and getting me ready for the race.


It was a fantastic experience to wheel myself into the stadium in front of cheering crowds and my heart lifted when I spotted my son, Tim, and Norman in front seats. I did my warm up with the other girls then onto the line to wait for the crack of the starting gun. I always start slowly but I soon started to get into my rhythm and my shoulders were pumping down the track. I could hear Norman and Tim roaring their encouragement as Hannah Cockcroft and me raced neck to neck up the track towards the finish line. I couldn't believe it when I got the silver and I was delighted for Hannah because she became the first person to break a world record in the new Olympic Stadium. I joked with her that I should get a share of that record for pulling her across the line. Lol. A great start but then came the disappointment of 5th place in the 400m. I just felt drained of energy in the last part of the race. No excuses though, and it couldn't spoil my delight coming second, especially as I achieved it in front of my son that I love most in the world. Oh yes, it was my birthday as well.


To round off a special day I was filmed by 'London Tonight' and interviewed by Sally Williams. When we watched it later we thought it came out really well, though Tim cringed at some of his 'baby' pictures being shown, and when he was filmed giving me a kiss at the end. At 11, he's got his teenage surliness early, but I love him to bits. All in all it was one of those days that live forever in the memory.

Typically I was ill on Wednesday but recovered and returned to training with a long road session on Thursday and Friday. Today I did a heavy workout in the gym before returning home to pack my chair and bags for a flight to Zurich tomorrow morning. I will be competing in the Swiss Championships and hopefully I will do well and keep myself in contention for a place in the Team. I don't even get to come home a week on Sunday because it's straight off to Manchester for the Paralympic World Cup. I thank God for the love and support of my family and friends.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

The past week has been very long as I put in all the final touches to my training programme before my races this weekend. It has also been the same week which marked one year to the London 2012 Olympics, and this is the time when all athletes who want to earn a place in the team start getting butterflies and know they have to work extra hard to earn the privilege of representing Team GB.
On Friday I couldn't sleep properly because of all the nerves that come with racing the following day. I wished a friend would call or text me and tell me to relax, and that it would all be OK. They didn't but I eventually drifted into sleep only to be harshly awoken by the strident noise of my alarm clock at 6am, an unearthly hour for me! I did my usual panic of trying to remember everything I would need, and just had time to gulp down half a bowl of porridge before my transport arrived and off we set for the journey to Stoke Mandeville. Eddie has been my regular taxi driver for long journeys for years and we joked that he would soon be made 'redundant' because I'll be driving myself as soon as my new car is ready.
Stoke Mandeville has always been special to me because it's really the place where the Paralympics was born. We have a lot to thank Dr Ludwig Guttmann for because it was his brainchild.
As I was warming up for my first race, the 100m, I looked around and breathed in fresh air by lungfulls to calm my nerves. I didn't even notice the beautiful weather we were having as I sat in my chair on the start line, hands shaking, waiting for the gun, but deep within myself I felt strong and ready for a good race. I was pleased to come second and with a good time, a season's best!
All in all it was a successful weekend, I was pleased with my performances in the 100m,400m, 200m, and 800m. It's been a great weekend but I'm glad to be back home and see my son,Tim, and I always miss my own bed when I go away.

Stoke Mandeville.

I went to the meeting at Stoke Mandeville a week or so ago and was disappointed to find the wind was against us so the times I did were not up to my usual standard. However, it was my first competitive track meeting of the season and it was good to get back on the track and racing. Hopefully my times will improve with hard training. I've continued to work really hard and did a really good session down in Kingston with Jenny Archer on Saturday. I'm hoping to get down there again later this week.
On Sunday it was my birthday and I was absolutely delighted to get a phonecall from my dad in Kenya telling me that three men from a polio organisation here in the UK had turned up at his homestead that morning. They wanted my dad to show them the places they had read about in my autobiography, 'In My Dreams I Dance', and also to fill them in on the things they had read about in more detail. They told my dad he was an excellent role model for the parents of disabled children and that made him feel justly proud. I was so happy that my dad was getting some recognition for the wonderful parenting he had shown me growing up. It made my day! A birthday to remember.
So, I'm off to Mark Hall for some more training and I'm really looking forward to returning to Switzerland later this month for some top class competition.

Catch Up.

Well, I have been so busy over the past month or so since my last entry that I haven't had the time to get near a computer so here is a brief account of what I've been up to.

First and foremost has been training training training with both my wheelchair coach, Ken Day, and in the gym with John Campbell. I don't know what I would do without these two great men but I owe them both a lot for their help and support. They have made me sweat and groan with pain but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I competed in Knowsley last month but the weather was not good and I wasn't totally happy with my performances but at least it was good to be back in proper competition after a long winter lay off. However, I did enjoy visiting Liverpool, a beautiful city, especially the Roman Catholic Cathedral, which is spectacular and very serene. It was also great to spend time with Pete Wyman and his family who kept me well fed and entertained. Thank you.

Off the track I have done a couple of days work on the 'Eastenders' set as an extra and am beginning to feel a real part of the family there. It's good fun even if we do only appear on screen for half a second! I even did a scene outside the 'Queen Vic' with a glass of orange! I've also visited a few schools to promote sport and healthy living and really enjoyed interacting with the youngsters I met. Finally I was honoured to be asked to open a charity shop for the St Elizabeth charity in Harlow. These events really make me feel humble but also very proud to be asked.

This last weekend I was at Stoke Mandeville for the BWAA International event and was much happier with my performances, especially getting a gold in the 400m, and doing 31.68 in the 200m, just outside my personal best. I just hope I can improve again in Switzerland this week, which will form the basis of my next blog. watch this space.