Oregon 2022 titbits: Let me be free

One of the most difficult things to deal with has been the 10-hour time difference with Kampala. So I still find myself awake late at night here while it is day in Kampala. 

And as the championship goes for the evening session, my eyes start to demand. Another pressing bit to note is that when the evening session ends at about 8pm here, which is 12am in Kampala, the sun is still up. On one of the days, I thought it was 6pm only to reach bed at 11pm. 

And Whatsapp texts and emails from home during the night here don’t make this topic any better. This, being written at 4:30am, Oregon time!

Cycling in the night

Oregon State is beautiful. It is largely a countryside of sorts with plenty of green and pretty peaceful. There are homesteads but one may struggle to find the habitats except at the Hayward Field where they have religiously turned out in big numbers. The few within the neighbourhoods are either jogging, walking a dog or driving through.

I was however amazed by the other small cluster of residents here who ride bicycles in the night, most common being ladies. 

Turn on the front light, hit the road through different blocks at 10pm or even 11pm. With the streets even quieter, it looked attractive. I wouldn’t try it though in Kampala Metropolitan.
 
Dos Santos wins bet

The relationship between journalists and athletes is significant, especially for individual sports disciplines like athletics. And that explains the bond between 400m hurdler Alison Dos Santos and Brazil’s Olympic Channel journalist Joao Barretto.

Barretto had grown a moustache and beard for a year but on Monday, he staked with Dos Santos that if the latter won the world title, he’d shave it off. On Tuesday evening, Dos Santos powered to the 400m hurdles gold via lane 6 with a championship record time of 46.29 seconds. Before Barretto left the stadium, he had already shaved yet overly delighted for his country’s gold.