Inzikuru now a Police officer
Inzikuru was a world beater in the 1990s. Courtesy Photo
What you need to know:
In 2005, at the World Championships, in Helsinki, Finland, Inzikuru ended Uganda’s 33-year wait for an athletics world title, winning the inaugural women’s 3000 m steeplechase event, in a time of 9:18.24 (at the time, the sixth best performance ever)
KAMPALA
Individual honours
3000m Steeplechase
2005 World Championships, Gold (9:18.24)
2005 World Athletics Final, Gold
2006 Commonwealth Games, Gold (9:19.51)
3000m
1999 World Youth Championships, 8th
5000m
1999 African Games, 6th
2000 World Junior Championships, Gold
2002 Commonwealth Games, 4th
2002 African Games, Silver
2003 Afro-Asian Games, Bronze
Cross Country
2000 World Junior Championships, 10th
2004 World Championships (short course), 38th
2005 World Championships (short course), 18th
2007 World Championships, DNF
Renowned former steeplechase runner Dorcus Inzikuru has been recruited in the Uganda Police Force as a police officer.
She joins Benjamin Njia and 28 other runners who joined the police after President Museveni ordered security forces to take on talented athletes. Inzikuru is a three-time Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) Personality of the year having been crowned in 2000, 2002 and 2005.
She is arguably the most successful female athlete Uganda has produced, with her IAAF 2005 World Championship gold medal ranking as her finest achievement. Her recruitment follows Daily Monitor stories early this year of sexual harassment of female athletes by their coach in the training camp.
Andrew Sorowen, the director of special duties, said Inzikuru is in charge of women affairs in the police sports department.
“When sex scandal allegations came to light, we felt that we needed to have a female coach to look after our athletes. And one of the most experienced was Inzikuru. We don’t expect to hear any scandal anymore,” Sorowen said. However, the sex abuse case never reached prosecution because the female athletes declined to record statements with the police.
Inzikuru will work under Njia who is now the team coach. Njia has been at Makerere University and was the captain of Uganda’s World University Cross Country team early this year.
Since Njia is a graduate, he joined as a cadet officer. Other runners without degrees joined at different ranks lower than cadet ranks.
Gen. Kale Kayihura, the police chief, said the new team of athletes will help the force get back to its former sports glory internationally. “I was with her at the Kisoro marathon and I saw how she has improved the sports standards. With her guidance, I was able to run 30km in a short time,” Gen. Kayihura said.
