IJOMAH Kingsley

Classification
PR1 (World Rowing, 03 Jun 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (bracknellnews.co.uk, 30 Aug 2016)

Impairment Details
His impairment is the result of the effects of polio, which he contracted at nine months old. "My left leg muscle is completely wasted and my left arm is slightly stronger than the right. I use a wheelchair to travel long distances." (bracknellnews.co.uk, 30 Aug 2016)

General
FROM NIGERIA TO ENGLAND
Born in Nigeria, he moved to London, England, with his family at age 14. (spinalpedia.com, 30 Dec 2020; adaptiverowinguk.com, 16 Oct 2019; bracknellnews.co.uk, 30 Aug 2016)

REPRESENTING NIGERIA
He has trained with the Great Britain squad and represented England at the Home International Regatta, but chose to represent Nigeria ahead of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "An opportunity came up to be the first ever to do this [compete at the Paralympic Games] for my country of birth. It was a tough decision. It was something I felt very strongly about, and I think it will make rowing something that other people can look forward to." (itv.com, 13 Aug 2021; gravity9.co, 14 Jul 2020; spinalpedia.com, 30 Dec 2020)

OCCUPATION
He has worked as a software engineer in Reading, England. "I didn't want to be stacking shelves and needed something that required sitting down and just getting on with it. I remember after Year 11 I had to choose a present the school would give me for achievement, and I chose Java and C++ [programming language] textbooks. This is a skill which I found relatively easy to grasp and is hugely in demand." (itv.com, 13 Aug 2021; Twitter profile, 19 Mar 2021; bracknellnews.co.uk, 30 Aug 2016)