The women on Uganda’s Olympics team

The much-anticipated Tokyo Olympics Games kicked off on July 23 after a year of waiting. The quadrennial event was to run last year before the Covid-19 pandemic saw it postponed. Some teams have set foot in Japan while others keep checking in by the day. Uganda sent a total of 24 athletes, 12 men and 12 women, to chase medals. Thirteen women qualified, including Stella Chesang who will not appear as she is unfit. It is the biggest number of women to have qualified for the Olympics since their first appearance in 1956, in Melbourne, Australia.

Catherine Nanziri (Boxing)

Nanziri made history after becoming the first Ugandan female boxer to qualify for the Olympics. The flyweight boxer from A & B Boxing Club joined boxing in 2015 when she was still a student at Aggrey Memorial College in Bunnamwaya. She won silver at the 2018 National Intermediates and the 2019 National Open. Her qualification story is a wild one. After losing to Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam and Kenya’s Christine Ongare in the 2020 qualifiers, her Olympics dream appeared to be shattered until the pandemic prolonged the qualifications. These were later cancelled and getting a ticket to Tokyo was based on continental rankings. This placed Nanziri in the 12th position with 200 points, thus making it to the Ugandan team.

Kathleen Noble (Rowing)

Kathleen Noble made a footprint in the local sport by becoming the first Uganda rower to make it to the Olympics. Noble hails from Kiwoko, Luweero and her Irish parents; Gerry Noble and Moira Noble came to Uganda as missionaries. She is a biologist by profession and is currently based in Salt Lake City – Utah in the US, where she has been preparing for the games. Besides rowing, Noble is multi-talented. In 2012, she represented Uganda at the Swimming World Championship, where she recorded Uganda’s best time ever (30.80 seconds) in the 50m butterfly. Volleyball, squash, badminton and basketball are some of the other games she plays during her free time.

Halima Nakaayi (800m)

 Nakaayi will be in Tokyo for her second Olympics having been in Rio 2016. She has won Uganda Gold at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games in 400m and at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. The 26-year-old heads for the games medal hopeful after improving her national record at the Monaco Diamond League Meeting in France, earlier this month. Growing up, Nakaayi’s family and the people around her told her she would never make it as an athlete. It even got worse when she went into comma after a brutal race. She bounced back and today she is inspiring young girls to live their dreams.

Winnie Nanyondo (1,500m)

Winnie Nanyondo has represented Uganda at multiple events such as the 2016 Olympics, the 2014 World University Cross Country Championships, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2013 Summer Universiade and the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She led Uganda to a medal sweep for the Universiade World Cross Country Championships in 2014 for a team championship.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Nanyondo won a bronze medal in the 800 metres. She is up against a competitive field in Tokyo in the 1,500m.

Peruth Chemutai (3,000m – Steeplechase)

She is the national record holder for the 3000m Steeplechase at 9.07.94. She will be making her first appearance at the Olympics. The 22-year-old hails from Bukwo District, where took up the sports after watching the 2013 District Championships. The 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia saw her win two silver medals in the 1,500 metres and 3,000 metres. She also competed in the Junior Women’s Race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, finishing seventh. In 2016, she finished in 7th position in the final of the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase event at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships, held in Bydgoszcz, Poland. She is also a silver medallist from the 2018 World Junior Championships.

Esther Chebet (5,000m)

Her Olympics qualification came as a surprise to many when she finished second in the 5,000m with her best time of 15:4.89 seconds behind Australian Matt Doyle in Netherlanda in May. She has been blowing hot and cold but the Olympics give her the perfect stage to remain consistent. She made the 1,500m finals at the All-Africa Games in Morroco, where she finished fifth. During the 2019 World Championships in Doha, she could not qualify from the heats.

Kirabo Namutebi (Swimming)

Namutebi would have missed out on the Olympics had they been held last year as previously scheduled. She would have been 15 years and ineligible to compete despite having the national record in the 50m freestyle (26.90). She is the youngest member on Uganda’s Olympics team at 16. In 2015, Namutebi went to her first Cana Zone IV Championship as a 10-year-old. When the event was hosted in Zimbabwe in 2017, Namutebi was dominant, breaking records and returned home as a medallist with two silvers and three bronze medals. In Botswana, she won silver in the 50m breaststroke (34.40) and two bronze medals in the 50m butterfly (29.97) and backstroke (32.27) before adding two gold medals in the girls’ 15-16 years 100m (1:00.45) and 50m freestyle (27.07). She also holds the 50m national record posted at the World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary in 2019 and two Africa Junior gold medals won in Tunisia.

Sarah Chelengat (5,000m)

She is the national record holder for 5,000m and 1,0000m. The 21-year-old sings to herself a hymn before her races. In five years, Chelengat is optimistic she will be a world champion and fulfil her childhood dream. As a young girl, she loved different sports but it was Moses Kipsiro who motivated her to choose athletics. Chelengat is also going for her maiden Olympics appearance having represented Uganda at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

Juliet Chekwel (Marathon)

Chekwel had to win the Zurich Marathon in an official time of 2:23:13 to set a new national record and qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games.  She clocked 2:13:13 to win the 36th Zurich Marathon in Seville, Spain in February last year on a newly redesigned course on her marathon debut. She finished strong to fend off challenges from Ethiopians Gada Boutu and Sifan Melaku who finished second and third. Chekwel also set a new national record in the women’s marathon and set a new course record on her way to the Olympics.

Immaculate Chemutai (Marathon)

Chemutai set a new national record for the Ugandan women’s marathon with a time of 2:32:41 at the Buriram Marathon on February 9,2020. In April of this year, she clocked 2:29:09 during the Xiamen Marathon to set a new personal best and meet the Olympic qualifying standard.

Rachael Zena Chebet (10,000m)

At  24, Racheal Zena Chebet has raised the Uganda flag high in a number of competitions. She finished seventh at the 2016 African Championships (5,000 m) and seventh at the 2019 African Games (10,000m). She scooped the 18th position during the 2019 World Championships (10,000 m) and also partook in the 2013 World Youth Championships (1,500m). The 2017 and 2019 World Cross Country Championships make her resume richer. She competed in the women’s half marathon at the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships held in Gdynia, Poland.

400m.

Leni Shida

After years of hard work, Leni Shida is on cloud nine after achieving her Olympics dream. Her appearance in Tokyo makes her the first Ugandan female sprinter at the Olympics since 2008 when Justin Bayiga showed up for the 400m. She is also Uganda’s only sprinter at the games. Leni qualified after running seven races in five weeks in Europe. It was there that she recorded at time of 51:81 seconds at the World Continental Tour in Geneva, she would late manage 51:89 in Italy which was enough to take her to Tokyo.

PHOTOS BY ISMAIL KEZAALA