From Cheptegei to Onyango: Why 2020 has a lot in store

Sports journalists working under Nation Media Group’s stable here in Uganda have for the past two years named Joshua Cheptegei as their crème de la crème.

The 23-year-old’s achievements, undoubtedly breathtaking, have a piercingly and profoundly moving subtext. One that makes it impossibly hard to imagine that the distance runner saw 2015 through a blur of tears.

Cheptegei’s unexpressed agony after spectacularly floundering at the World Cross Country Championships felt unbearably poignant to the point of convincing many that the wound inflicted would fester. Indeed, the situation was far from ideal.

The youngster, however, dug deep and, after his pursuits came in increments in 2016, he created something deliciously incredible at the 2017 World Athletics Championships. It would be a bit of a stretch to say that

Cheptegei took Mo Farah to his absolute limits during the 10,000m final in London. The Ugandan nevertheless did reasonably well to test a legend of the track in every way possible.

After winning the world title in Farah’s absence last year, Cheptegei will have to contend with the legendary Briton during the first day of the Tokyo Olympics on July 31.

While a year away from the track and ravages of advancing age could have dramatically slowed down Farah, there is little evidence to suggest that the men’s 10,000m final won’t balance on a razor’s edge. If it does shape into a nerve-jangling buzzer, Ugandans will hope that if finds not just Cheptegei but also Jacob Kiplimo in good health and cheer.

Such an eventuality will push Uganda’s tally of Olympic medals closer to the double digit-mark. Four of the seven medals Team Uganda has won at the Olympics have come from the boxing ring.

The sport produced Uganda’s first Olympic medal back in 1968 when Eridad Mukwanga inflicted so much sustained damage in Mexico City. Yet after John Mugabi walked away with silver in Moscow 1980, Ugandan boxing discovered that bobbing and weaving had left its arms just as tired as its legs.

What ensued was a medal-less streak in which Ugandan boxers gave chase only to see opponents tenderise their ribs by unloading on their guard.

Tokyo 2020 will give Ugandan boxers an opportunity to snap the medal-less streak. But to get the chance to plant their feet in Ryōgoku Kokugikan’s ring, Ugandan boxers will need to deal out far more damage than they take in an

Olympic qualifying tournament in Senegalese capital of Dakar during the last two weeks of February.
As well as allowing us to find out if Ugandan boxers have gunpowder in their blows, the first year of the 2020s will bring with it the sixth edition of the African Nations Championship (Chan). Uganda has played in four of the past Chan tournaments, but there is a terrifying realisation in the fact that the Cranes have never managed to make it to the knockout stage.

Whether Johnny McKinstry can break the duck entirely depends on if players like Allan Okello will stay put in Uganda or move to greener pastures. Any mass movements in the current transfer window will thin McKinstry’s selection pool during the tournament that is exclusive to players that ply their trade in leagues within their native countries.

After Chan 2020 runs its course in April, attention will doubtless shift to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers. Denis Onyango will have the chance to captain the Cranes to the Afcon finals for the second time on the bounce.

The Mamelodi Sundowns ace is also still in line to join an elite club of goalkeepers who have not conceded a goal for the entirety of an Afcon qualifying campaign. The 34-year-old pulled up marginally short in the 2019 Afcon qualifying campaign, having his goal only breached in the last qualifier against Tanzania.

So could it be a case of once bitten, twice shy? Time will tell. One thing is sure, though, 2020 will be jam-packed with countless sporting events. Hope you have a good one.

What we now know....

We now know that lanky striker Daniel Isiagi scored the first Uganda Premier League goal of the 2020s as URA FC comfortably beat SC Villa at the Arena of Visions. Despite the strong start to the second round of the 2019/2020 season, we know that URA coach Sam Ssimbwa has been quick to write off his team’s chances.
We also know that before any topflight league game was played in the second decade of the 21st century, URA was in with a shout for the title. The Tax Collectors, however, failed to defend their title, finishing four points behind eventual winners, Vipers SC in 2010.
We know that — like they did in 2010s — Vipers are well poised to win the first league title available in the 2020s. The Venoms went into the Christmas break as the half-stage champions and in snapping up Paul Mucureezi have signalled their intent not to pull any punches. Their greatest rivals for the title will unsurprisingly be the defending champions, KCCA FC. The Garbage Collectors have however been beset by a vast array of problems both on and off the pitch.