Chemutai, Lalam delight in Accra

Peruth Chemutai and Josephine Lalam added to Team Uganda’s delight at the African Games by making it to the podium on Day Three of athletics at the University of Ghana Legon Stadium in Accra.

The female duo sparked delight both in Accra and back home as Lalam’s javelin throw bronze was followed by Chemutai’s silver medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final.

Lalam handed Chemutai the national flag at the finish-line after the latter had controlled proceedings only to lose the lead to eventual winner Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech over the water-jump race.

The reigning Olympic champion Chemutai, who had a complex 2023 due to illness, ignited her confidence ahead of Paris 2024 Games by posting a time of nine minutes and 16.07 seconds.

“I feel good,” a happy Chemutai told this paper via phone. “It was good,” she said of the nine-lady field. Chemutai became the first Ugandan to win a steeplechase medal at these Games.

Together with Chepkoech who won in 9:15.61, Chemutai controlled the race from about 1000m at 3:02.49 and a high tempo burnt out the rest of the field.

A little earlier, Lalam even scripted her own slice of history. She produced Uganda’s first medal in field events at these Games in nearly four decades.

The 23-year-old is devoid of the best tactics but, she showed up and threw a third throw of 57.01 metres, just enough to earn the third place on the charts.

“I feel very happy right now because of my new national record (NR),” Lalam said after improving her previous NR mark of 55.59m.

Lalam had missed out a medal in fourth place at the previous African Games in Rabat, Morocco five years. She became the first field event athlete to medal since Justin Arop won javelin gold at the Nairobi 1987 Games in Kenya.

Including Halimah Nakaayi’s 800m silver, Uganda’s athletics medal tally is at three in Accra which is better than the two medals won in Rabat.

And it could have been bigger had Tom Dradriga held onto his lead in the final 70 metres of the men’s 800m final. He painfully walked off the tartan after settling for fourth place in a time of 1:46.14.

Dradriga had taken the lead towards the final bend from Botswana’s Tumo Nkape who eventually returned to finish third in 1:46.04. “I can just say it wasn’t my turn because I gave it all I had but it failed,” Dradriga said yesterday.

It was the Kenyan duo of Aron Cheminingwa and Alex Ngeno who took the gold and silver at the death.

Meanwhile, Haron Adoli’s body could give much in lane 1 during the closing stages of the men’s 400m final. He finished sixth in 46.16 seconds.

Rebecca Cheptegei will trek the Accra streets in the women’s 21km race this morning.

AFRICAN GAMES - ATHLETICS

DAY THREE RESULTS - TEAM UGANDA

MEN’S 800M FINAL

1 Aron Cheminingwa (KEN)              1:45.72                                   

2 Alex Ngeno (KEN)                          1:45.73

3 Tumo Nkape (BOT)                         1:46.04

4 Tom Dradriga (UGA)                    1:46.14

WOMEN’S 3000M STEEPLECHASE FINAL

1 Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN)             9:15.61

2 Peruth Chemutai (UGA)               9:16.07

3 Muleta Lomi (ETH)                         9:26.63

MEN’S 400M FINAL

1 Anthony Chidi (NGR)                     45.06

2 Muzala Samukonga (ZAM)             45.37

3 Tidiane Cheikh (SEN)                     45.49

6 Haron Adoli (UGA)                       46.16

WOMEN’S JAVELIN THROW FINAL

1 Jo-ane van Dyk (RSA)                     60.80m

2 Jana van Schalkwyk (RSA)             57.64m

3 Joyce Lalam (UGA)                       57.01m