Para-athletes in last chance salon for Paris, Accra

About 15 para-athletes will take their very last chance to qualify for the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in the national trials organised by the Uganda Athletics Championship and the Uganda  Paralympic Committee at Namboole Stadium Saturday.

All National Paralympic Committees across the world must by June 1, confirm the size of team delegation and the final entry by name via the online entry system, five weeks before the Championships kick off at Charlety Stadium in Paris, France.

At the African Grand Prix in Marrakech, Morocco in March, Peace Oroma qualified for the 400m T13, the 1500m T13 in Paris, becoming the first Ugandan woman to qualify for the World Para Athletics Championships.

At Namboole, Oroma will be seeking to keep in competition shape and improve on her times, though 2017 World Para-athletics champion David Emong, who also qualified for Paris, will not attend because of sickness.

But newcomer Gad Tumusiime, who missed qualification by 25 seconds in the 1500m T11 in Marrakech and wheelchair racer Richard Ocira, who failed at the 1500m and 800m T54 will hope for better fortunes in Namboole.

Fred Masisa didn’t travel to Marrakech, but Coach Jameson Ssenkungu said his current time is good and could make it to the Worlds.

Likewise, Prisca Aciro will also seek to hit the 13.60sec mark to qualify for the 100m T46.  

If any of these favourites make it to the Worlds, they will have improved their qualifying chances of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games and test themselves at the venue that will also host the Games.

But the bigger lot of the 15 may book their tickets to the 2023 African Paralympic Games in Accra, Ghana in September.

THE FAVOURITES

Peace Oroma

Fred Masisa

Richards Ocira

Prisca Aciro