Uganda’s leading sportswomen

It’s quite a journey from the most recognizable in Susan ‘Super Lady’ Muwonge to perhaps the least known, Lilian Zawedde, whose sport, woodball, is still in its infancy.

The celebration of International Women’s Day today is a hallmark of their achievements and we bring the top 10 sports personalities in Uganda.

Susan Muwonge
Rallying has forever been a male-dominated sport. But way before the cries for women emancipation grew loud, Susan Muwonge took the plunge. Uganda’s most famous female rally driver has been in the sport since 2005 and went on to win the National Rally Championship (NRC) two years ago in a Subaru Impreza N10.
That year, the Uganda Sports Press Association (Uspa) recognized her achievement by naming her the sports personality of the year.

Flavia Namakula
Women’s golf is today synonymous with Flavia Namakula, a two-time Uganda Ladies Open champion (2010 and 2011).
The UPDF soldier has represented Uganda at the World Military Championships and also at Africa Challenge Trophy.

Flavia Oketcho
Sine her days at Kitante Hill School, Flavia Oketcho has been the benchmark of women’s basketball in Uganda. The point guard is the difference between an average team and a winning team. Last year, she led KCCA Leopards to the league title, coming from 2-0 down to defeat UCU Lady Canons. She was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) by Fuba and eventual female player by Uspa. She has five league titles.

Fatuma Luwedde
Fatuma Luwedde, a striker in the national women’s team, the Crested Cranes, is always the reason the national team is never shy in front of goal. Luwedde possesses a swift left foot and is calm in front of goal. Though women’s football isn’t so popular, the 20-year-old scored the lone goal as Uganda drew 1-all with Congo Brazzaville.

Shamim Bangi
The current number one badminton player in the country, Shamim Bangi, is also ranked fifth overall on the African roster.
She finished seventh and third in the Cyprus and Uganda, international Badminton championships in January and February respectively.
The 19-year-old is striving to be the first female badminton player to represent Uganda at the Olympics.

Annet Negesa
Although she missed the London Olympics due to unclear reasons, Annet Negesa is dominant in middle distance races. She won the 800m and 1500m gold medals at the Africa Junior Athletics Championship in Botswana in 2011. Despite being a junior, she beat seniors to win the 800m All Africa Games gold in 2011 in Maputo.

Sarah Nambawa
Sarah Nambawa, 29, has had several tribulations in her career that would have forced any faint-hearted athlete into early retirement.
But no condition is too unbearable to make Nambawa abandon the sport she loves most. Last year, won her second Africa Senior Athletics Championships triple jump gold. The former sprinter also competed at the 2011 World Athletics Chapionship in Daegu, South Korea.

Dorcus Inzikuru
Attention has never left Dorcus Inzikuru since she won Uganda’s first ever 3000m steeplechase gold in the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland. She bagged the Commonwealth Games gold a year later and has represented the country twice at the Olympics.

ikigongo@ug.nationmedia.com