“I was born to be a champion” Hellen Kariuki
Hellen Kariuki always knew she was different. But on the day that a bronze Commonwealth Games medal was placed over her head, she realised that it was her differences that had brought her to victory.
Hellen grew up in Embu, a prominent city in the east of Kenya. She was born with a disability, but it was only when she was 12 years old that she was officially diagnosed with Spina Bifida Occulta, a congenital condition of the nervous system that impacts sensation in the back and legs.
By the time she received that diagnosis, others had already formed their own opinions about what her future would look like.
“I wouldn't say my parents had a hard time of accepting me because my grandfather was very good.
“My aunties said that once I had finished grade eight in school, I shouldn’t go to the next grade because of how they saw me.
“He was the one that was encouraging my mum that, even though I am disabled he is going to be there for her to support.”
Life was not easy. Managing her condition meant learning to navigate challenges that most children never had to think about, including learning to use and change catheters, a process she described as difficult and challenging.
“It was hard being in a crowd and socialising with other children because I was aware that I was different. It was not easy.”
In 2014, at a camp for people with Spina Bifida, Hellen met a Kenyan powerlifter who saw strength where others had seen limitation.
“He said, ‘you look very strong. Do you know you can do powerlifting?’ I didn't even know what powerlifting was.”
Her first competition was in Congo. More important than the result was what it made her understand.
“After going for my first competition in Congo, that's when I realized this thing can make me be someone who is respectable to the society or even family.”
As Hellen got more involved in sport, she also became more emboldened in life, moving into her own home, providing her with independence and pride, and an ambition to see where her involvement with Para Powerlifting would take her.
In 2022, Hellen was selected to represent Kenya at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and experienced her first GAPS camp in the run up to the Games.
In Birmingham, the opportunity was clear. This was her chance to push away all the negative thoughts she had about herself and embrace her potential as a Para Athlete.
Competing in the lightweight category, Hellen lifted 97kg, winning her the bronze medal - her first major success. Hellen had represented her country and herself, something her twelve year old self would never have thought possible. Her success moved her closer towards the version of herself she had always wanted to be: confident and authentically herself!
Hellen would go on to compete at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, pushing herself each time to be stronger. Her current best lift is 106kg, but that’s not enough for her. When Hellen arrives in Scotland for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, she has her eyes on the top prize.
“I got a bronze medal at Birmingham, and I pray I will not get anything less than that.
“My goal at Glasgow is lifting 110kg. I am going to lift the weight I have never done before”
Hellen once was isolated and alone, only seen as her disability. Now, she has thrown herself into a community that sees all of her and her potential.
“It means everything to me. I was born to be a champion.”
Watch her journey here...
As the charitable arm of Commonwealth Sport, since launching in 2020, Commonwealth Sport Foundation (CSF) has helped to equip aspiring and established athletes with the tools to build inclusive, equitable and sustainable futures by breaking down barriers in and beyond sport through programmes such as GAPS. Find out more about the CSF here
