Bombers fall one gold medal behind 2017 team

The 17 Bombers at the 2023 Africa Confederations Boxing Championship in Yaounde, Cameroon needed just one gold medal to beat the 2017 team as the best at the continental event.

In 2017, eight Bombers stormed Congo-Brazzaville with breath-taking performances that reaped two silver medals by Geofrey Kakeeto and David Ayiti, before welterweight Muzamir Kakande grabbed gold.

But Saturday night, lightweight Wasswa Amiri Ssali and light welterweight Erina Namutebi, the only Ugandans who made the 2023 finals settled for silver medals. 

Despite stopping Mozambique’s Sandra Isabel Mulungo in the semis, Namutebi is the least experienced among the Bombers and losing to Algeria’s Hichrak Chahib was no surprise.  

But Ssali trained with that 2017 team in Lugogo, until his passport showed he was under the eligible age for the elite tournament. Six years later, on his Bombers debut, he bowed out as Uganda’s best in Cameroon, with three wins and one loss. 

He was the first to give Uganda victory in Cameroon after four defeats. After Kenya’s Ethan Maina in the Round of 16, the man nicknamed Black Skin defeated Burkina Faso’s Ousmane Naba to enter the coveted medal bracket, joining middleweight Ronald Faizo Okello—who scored Uganda’s second victory—welterweight Ukasha Matovu and lady’s captain Emily Nakalema.

Already super heavyweight Solomon Geko, flyweight Grace Nankinga and Namutebi were in the semis thanks to few entries in the weight divisions.

Ssali refused to settle for bronze and defeated DR Congo’s Idriss Kitangila to become the first Ugandan to reach the finals in Cameroon, as Okello, Ukasha and Nankinga lost to Congolese.

The following day Namutebi joined Ssali in the final, while Nakalema and Geko fell short and settled for $5000 given to bronze medallists.  Namutebi and Ssali dreamt of gold and $15000. But each settled for silver and $10,000 (about Shs36m) each.

Ssali lost to South Africa’s Sanele Sogcwayi while Namutebi lost to Algeria’s Chahib. 

Seven bronze and two silver medals is good. But not good enough to match Kakande’s class of 2017 that got gold.

Even in terms of medals per capita, 2017 is better: eight Bombers, three medals. 2023: 17 Bombers, seven medals. 

Two more variables: Kakande, Ayiti and Kakeeto qualified for the 2017 World Championship. The 2023 medallists reaped $45,000. While the six quarterfinalists shared $7500, each taking $1250.

Kakande and co. were just unlucky that in their era, prize money was just a dream.

UGANDA’S PERFORMANCE

SILVER

Wasswa Amiri Ssali (lightweight)

Erina Namutebi (light welterweight)

BRONZE

Grace Nankinga (flyweight)

Emily Nakalema (welterweight)

Ukasha Matovu (welterweight)

Ronald Faizo Okello (middleweight)

Solomon Geko (super heavyweight)

QUARTERFINALISTS

Nadia Najjemba (bantamweight)

Sharua Ndagire Musa (featherweight)

Zahara Nandawula (light weight)

Joseph Kalema (minimum weight)

Lawrence Kayiwa (cruiserweight)

James Baraka (heavyweight)

PRELIMINARIES

Kasim Murungi (featherweight)

Joshua Tukamuhebwa (light welterweight)

Muzamir Ssemuddu (light middleweight)

Idris Mukiibi (light heavyweight)