Orogot confident after 200m bow
Promising. Orogot prepares to get out of the blocks during a recent competition in the US. PHOTO/COURTESY
Ugandan sprinter Tarsis Orogot is confident of getting a slot in the 200m field at July’s Oregon World Athletics Championships after an impressive outdoor debut at the weekend.
The University of Alabama student powered to a third place finish over the half-a-lap race to clock 20.39 seconds on the Percy Beard Track at the Tom Jones Invitational in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday.
“It was a decent race,” Orogot said via phone, “Slowly getting healthier after some hamstring issues.”
The time was two micro-seconds shy of his national record which he set during the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya last August.
His finish, however, marked the sixth fastest time by a University of Alabama student in history.
Despite finishing behind Javonte Harding and Daniel Stokes in the fastest Heat 3, the 19-year-old needs to post under 20.24 to get one of the 56 slots for Oregon.
“That’s easy, it’s just a matter of time,” Orogot confidently said. Davis Kamoga is the last male sprinter to ever reach the World Championships.
He claimed the silver medal behind legendary American Michael Johnson in a national record (NR) of 44.37 seconds during the 400m final in Greek capital Athens on August 5, 1997.
However, Shida Leni competed over the 400m during the Doha Worlds in Qatar three years ago.
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