|
Born in Mihu, Kenya, to Nekesa Ruth and
Athumani Wafula in 1969, Anne was a fit and healthy child before polio
struck when she was two years old. She was given the middle name of
Olympia at birth, a title of prophetic significance for the future and
prescient of hurdles she would face in forthcoming years.
Superstitious villages believed the family
were cursed following Anne’s partial recovery from illness, forcing
the Wafulas to relocate to Athumani’s military barracks in Nairobi.
Anne attended Joyland School for the Physically Handicapped, a
Salvation Army institute with an excellent reputation for education. A
four-hour drive meant residency and separation from her parents. In
1979, further tragedy visited the family with the premature death of Nekesa Ruth.
After completing A-levels and graduating
from Moi University with a Bachelor of Education degree, Anne taught
at Machakos Technical College in 1998, before meeting the man she would marry - which lead her to Britain, motherhood, and wheelchair
racing.
2004 marked the beginning of an Olympic
career when Anne became the first wheelchair racer from East Africa to
compete at the Paralympics in Athens. Following an application for
British citizenship in 2006, Anne joined Team GB and in 2007 was
officially recognised by the Queen at a Buckingham Palace reception
for her work as a disabled athlete and for involvement in charity work
for people with disabilities. Anne is currently preparing for the 2012
Paralympics in London.
|
