Lalam wins bronze

Lalam won Uganda a bronze in javelin, the country’s sixth in the discipline in the history of the competition. PHOTO BY OLUSEGUN ADERINTO

Teenager Josephine Lalam believes the perception given to field events in Uganda can change after she scripted some history here on Saturday.

The 17-year-old produced the unexpected at the Stephen Keshi Stadium to take home javelin bronze on Day Four of the 21st Africa Senior Athletics Championships on Saturday.

It is her first throw of 51.33 metres that emerged best of her six attempts to win Uganda its first African Senior javelin medal in 28 years.

“This is good,” the humble athlete began to speak as Team Uganda waited for their van back to Hotel Dela Nice.

“I am very happy to have won a medal,” the Senior Four student at Gombe Secondary School said with a smile.

“But the throw was not the best,” said the athlete who had only hit the 50m mark once this year.

This was the first javelin medal since Justin Arop’s bronze at the 1990 edition in Cairo and the first by a female since Schola Mujawamaria’s bronze in Annaba, Nigeria two decades ago.

Without a coach, Lalam has always had to put her knowledge with more experienced compatriot Lucy Aber to get better in training and at events. Little changed here. The pair has been in company of each other.