Pioneering tae-kwon-do queen Kihurani takes final bow

Master Caroline Wairimu Kihurani, who passed on in Nairobi last week, has been celebrated for the role she played as one of the most eminent pioneering female martial artists in Kenya.

Wairimu made history as the first female to represent the country at the 1997 World Taekwondo Championships in Hong Kong, besides being the only female executive member at the Kenya Taekwondo Federation (KTF).

‘Coach Carol,’ as she came to be famously known, was honored at a requiem service in Nairobi on Wednesday after passing on at 59.

“Coach Carol will be remembered not only for her skills as a martial artist but also for her contribution as a pioneer for the Kenya Ladies Taekwondo Association.

“As a member of the first Kenyan team to participate at a world event in Hong Kong in 1997, Master Caroline was not only a coach but also a passionate advocate of the girl child and representing their interests all the way to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya,” KTF president, Major Suleiman Sumba, eulogised.

Her interest in martial arts, a field largely alien to women in Kenya before her time, started while she was in primary school.

Wairimu, however, started formal training after she was posted to Meru as a marketer in the early 1990s.

She then met renowned coach Master Ernest Olayo in Nairobi and intensified her training at the KTF headquarters at Uniafric House, where she quickly rose through the ranks to earn her black belt.

Wairimu made history as the first female to be crowned the national champion in three divisions, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight.

In 1996, she won Kenya gold at the regional tournaments in Uganda and Tanzania before becoming the pioneering female medallist for her country at the 1996 All Women Competition in South Africa, where she scooped bronze.

In 1997, under coaches Olayo and Ngana, she qualified for the 8th women's and 12th men's World Championship in Hong Kong, helping Kenya bag the ‘Most Promising Team’ trophy and individually, she went all the way to the quarterfinal.

After completing the Olympic Solidarity Course in 2000, Wairimu began coaching at Kenya High School, Kianda School, Parklands Sports Club and Premier Club.

She was also involved in the national team set up, and her last assignment with Team Kenya was at the regional championship in Rwanda in 2023.

“Carol was a tough fighter and strong person who was never afraid of telling it as it is. Under her guidance, more than 500 girls have entered taekwondo,” Parklands Sports Club Dojo chairman, Wangethi Mwangi, recalled.

Towards the end of last year, Wairimu was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and stepped down from her coaching role earlier this year to begin treatment.

After fighting bravely through radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions, she passed away peacefully in her home in the mid-morning hours of June 10th. 

She will be buried at her family’s home in Ol-Joro-Orok on Thursday.