Kenneth Colaine MBE Contents Early life Life as a Paralympic athlete Achievements and Awards Other Sporting Achievements Kenneth (Kenny) Colaine, is a Paralympian and disability rights campaigner. He competed in the Special Olympics, in the 1992 Paralympic Games and in the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. He won a total of two gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze Paralympic medal for the Men’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Early life Kenny was born in Brent, London in 1969. It was in October 1990, that Kenny was named as part of the basketball team who would compete in the World Special Olympics in the USA, chosen following a ‘breath-taking performance’ at a European Special Olympics in Scotland that Summer. Kenny was quoted in the Wembley Observer as saying, ‘I am very happy to be able to go and I will be the best ever’. An active member of the Queens Park Harriers athletics team, the Pinner Observer reports that Kenny recorded a 100m time of 11.5 seconds, and a 200m time of 23.3 second, taking first place in the Southern League match in June 1992. These results led to selection for the British Paralympic team. Image courtesy of Ian Brittain Life as a Paralympic athlete Kenny became well-known when he competed in the 1992 Paralympic Games in Madrid, where he won gold medals in the Men’s 100m ID and Men’s 200m ID and a silver medal in the 4 x 100m relay. There is some contention over whether or not these qualify as Paralympic victories, as Kenny’s events were held outside of the host city of Barcelona, as part of the then named ‘1992 Paralympic Games for Persons with a mental handicap’ held immediately after the Barcelona event and separately in Madrid. This was the first and only event of its kind. Though officially titled as a Paralympic Games at the time, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has subsequently omitted the Madrid results from its primary historical results database due to a complex later split in historical categorisation. Image courtesy of Ian Brittain Kenny went on to compete in the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, where he achieved a bronze medal in the Men’s 200m MH. This marked the first time that athletes with learning difficulties were included in the Paralympic programme at the same venue, and on the same dates. His appearance at the 1996 Games attracted lots of media coverage, competing alongside his college classmate Nigel Bourne, who won Gold ahead of Kenny in the 200m and Gold in Long Jump. Image courtesy of Ian Brittain Achievements and awards Paralympic Games Kenny began his Paralympic career at the Madrid 1992 Paralympics, winning Britain’s only gold medals of the Games, in the Men’s 100m and 200m as well as a team silver in the 4x100m relay. Kenny was also one of the 244 British competitors at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and won a bronze medal in the Men’s 200m event. A Disability Campaigner Kenny was an active member of the Queens Park Harriers Athletics Club and the Strathcona Basketball Club. He was a part-time sports attendant at the Willesden Green Sports Centre, and a keen promoter of disability sport. In 1994, Kenny was nominated by the UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disabilities and was awarded an MBE, ‘for his services to support the disabled’. He is reported to be the first person with a learning disability to be awarded the MBE. Kenny utilised the media coverage of his award, to advocate for the visibility and recognition of disabled people in sport and to lobby the government for change. ‘It’s good to have an MBE’, he said. ‘But more people should be recognised in this way’. He argued that MPs should support a ban on discrimination against the disabled in the same way as the law bans unjust treatment of women and ethnic minorities. This 1994 excerpt from the Wembley Observer tells us more: “HE RUNS so fast he could give Linford Christie a serious race. But nobody knew who he was – until now. Kenny Colaine is a Paralympic gold medallist at the age of 24 and finally received recognition last week when he was honoured by the Queen. Kenny can run the 100 metres just one second slower than our most famous athlete but Kenny, who has learning difficulties, is not a household name because, according to Mencap, he is ‘treated as a second-class citizen in this country because there are no rights for disabled people in Britain’. Rather than accept the award with just a grateful smile, Kenny made his argument about the importance of equal rights for disabled athletes. The action was timely as the House of Commons will be debating the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill in two weeks. With the lack of recognition for disabled athletes’ efforts, it is hard to see who really has the learning difficulties” [sic] On 3 July 1994, Kenny was the subject of a London Weekend Television programme called ‘Link’, a short 15-minute feature, profiling him as one of the country’s top sprinters, but as one whose achievements went largely unrecognised. Crucially it asked the question, ‘is this because he has a learning disability?'. Other Sporting Achievements Kenny took part in the 1990 European Special Olympics in Scotland where he gave a ‘breath-taking performance’. He later competed as part of the basketball team at the World Special Olympics in the USA. Kenny competed in the Third London Special Olympics, held in Brent in June 1992. Kenny recorded a 100m time of 11.5 seconds and a 23.3 second time in the 200m, taking first place in a Southern Athletics League match in June 1992. He received recognition at the annual Middlesex County Sports Awards 1992, alongside para swimmers Tara Flood, and Clare Bishop who was named as ‘Disabled Sportsperson of the Year’. Paralympic table tennis and bowls player Gwen Buck was presented with the Middlesex Award for Courage and Endurance at the same event. In June 1993, Kenny competed in the Special Olympics in Sheffield, winning a gold medal in the 100m. He won gold in both the 100m and 200m in the World Special Olympics in Spain, in Sept 1993. In July 1994, Kenny competed at the inaugural IPC Athletics World Championships, in Berlin. References https://www.paralympic.org/kenneth-colaine https://www.paralympicheritage.org.uk/british-athletics-medal-winners-200m Brittain, I. From Stoke Mandeville to Stratford: A History of the Summer Paralympic Games https://pure.coventry.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/3976727/fromstoke1.pdf Wembley Observer, 11 October 1990 Pinner Observer, 25 June 1992 Pinner Observer, 20 June 1995 Southall Gazette, 20 September 1996 Wembley Observer, 24 February 1994 Wembley Observer, 24 February 1994 Daily Express, 2 July 1994 Brent Leader, 25 June 1992 Pinner Observer, 25 June 1992 Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Gazette, 13 November 1992 https://www.wfchistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BL_0003842_19921112_100_0100.pdf Wembley Leader, 6 January 1994 Manage Cookie Preferences