Nine gold for Uganda on day one of athletics

Doing The Double. Uganda’s Victoria Awidi won the long jump gold beating defending champion Gloria Mulei of Kenya. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

  • Athletics. Kenya collected three gold medals as the athletics program got underway on the fourth day of the Brookside East Africa Secondary School Games at Ubworoherane Stadium but it was the Ugandans that reigned supreme.

KAMPALA.

Uganda pulled off a rare feat against traditional rivals Kenya by gathering a massive 19 medals on the first day of (athletics) action at the Brookside- sponsored Federation of East Africa Secondary School Games. A rampant Uganda team mustered nine gold, six silver and four bronze in several track and field events inside the Ubworoherane Stadium in Musanze, Rwanda.
Earlier in the day Uganda edged Kenya in the boys’ 10,000m as Lamek Oduma cruised to victory in 30:07.4 beating last year’s silver medallist Kelvin Kibiwot (30:27.4) of Kenya and defending champion Jackson Kavesa (30:48.5). The usually dominant Kenyans finished second with 18 medals: three gold, six silver and nine bronze as hosts Rwanda finished with two medals—gold and a silver.
Oduma took charge of the race with six laps to go, leaving the Kenyans, who had until that point comfortably exchanged leads in the race.
Uganda’s Victoria Awidi won long jump gold, beating defending champion Gloria Mulei of Kenya.
Samuel Imeta of Bungoma High School, sprinted to victory in the boys’ 100m in an impressive time of 10.7sec to give Kenya its first gold of the day. Uganda’s Emmanuel Aboda came third (11.1sec) behind another Kenyan Meshack Babu who timed 10.9.
Another Ugandan Scarlet Chemus (18:12.5) finished third in the girls’ 1,500m. Catherine Reline, who led from gun to tape, won the race in 17:46 ahead of fellow Kenyan Margaret Akidor (17:55.6).
At the 2017 edition in Gulu, Awidi upset Gombe SS schoolmate and Youth Commonwealth Games champion Joyce Lalam in javelin. She can replicate that feat as action continues today.

HAUL ON ATHLETICS DAY ONE

UGANDA KENYA

Gold 9 3
Silver 6 6
Bronze 4 9