Chelangat searches for first senior medal

Sarah Chelangat only turned 21 on Sunday but she boasts of a rich profile.

The long-distance runner holds both national records (NRs) over the 5000m and 10000m at 15:00.61 and 31:06.46 but she is yet to qualify for the Oregon World Championships.

Getting a slot on Team Uganda to the East Coast of USA is her goal when she competes in the long-distance double during the Africa Senior Championships in Mauritius.

Place on podium

Chelangat will today hope to have a place on the podium when she lines-up for the women’s 5000m final at the Cote d’Or National Sports Complex in Saint Pierre. “Training has been better, my target time is 15:00,” said Chelangat, a double-medallist at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Bueno Aires, Argentina.

The qualifying standard to Oregon over the 12-and-a-half-lap race is 15:10.00. Last August, the Kapchorwa-based runner competed in the 5000m Heat 1 but came 19th during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.

However, Chelangat has displayed consistency since. She won the 21km race during the Kampala Marathon last November.

Early this year, she was beaten by Mercyline Chelangat to the senior women’s 10km title during the National Cross-country Championships in Tororo.

Finishing second

Then a fortnight later, Chelangat came second again behind Mercyline during the National Half-Marathon Championships in Jinja.

To enhance her endurance, she finished seventh at the azidero Road to Records 10K in Herzogenaurach, Germany and 15 days later, came fourth at the Cape Town 10K in South Africa on May 15.

AFRICA SENIOR ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP

TODAY - DAY TWO ACTION TEAM UGANDA SCHEDULE

4:25pm: Women 400m semis

4:45pm: Men 400m semis

5:05pm: Women 1500m Final

5:20pm: Women 100m Final

5:35pm: Men 100m Final

5:50pm: Men 800m Semis

6:20pm: Women 5000m final

7pm: 4x400m Mixed Relay Final

[email protected]