Bicycle repairer inspires children to win cycling event

GULU. The Acholi sub Regional bicycle race organized by Ker Kwaro Acholi, the Acholi Cultural institution and supported by MTN climaxed on Sunday. 

The race brought together at least 200 cyclists from the eight districts of Acholi Sub Region.

In the finals, Omoro district was the overall winner in both male and female categories with Emmanuel Oola 20, and Harriet Aunu, 25, finishing as winners, while Walter Orach and Joyce Acan finished second respectively.

Both Oola and Aunu are the children of 58-year-old Julius Peter Odong, commonly known as Ajai, a retired cyclist. Currently Odong is a bicycle repairer in Bobi trading center in Omoro district.

Odong, first raced in 1990, when Betty Oyella Bigombe, the then Minister of State for Northern Uganda, organized a bicycle race to fundraise funds for the construction of St Thomas Moore Primary and Secondary School in now Oyam district. He won the race, winning a bicycle and a certificate.

In 1993, Odong was among the four cyclists who represented Gulu in the Northern Uganda competition held in Lira, a race he also won, returning with another bicycle.

In total, Odong won five cycling races with several other awards including certificates.

His highest participation in bicycle racing came in 1995, competing in trials for a continental competition, Harare, Zimbabwe. He finished ninth in that race.

Inspiration

When Ker Kwaro announced the bicycle race, with the theme being racing to end teenage pregnancy in Acholi Sub, Odong notified his children and asked them whether they were interested.

Oola, the overall winner said he was inspired by his father’s legacy of racing up to the national level, although he did not race for the national team, but the awards he won played a huge role.

“With the three bicycles at our disposal, we could train at any point we wanted. But when we heard about the bicycle competition, my sister and I told ourselves that this was our chance to announce ourselves as bicycle racers, and here we are,” Oola said.

Oola, a full time member of his father’s bicycle racing club said he listened to what his coaches told him during training, which helped him win Shs500,000 from qualification races at the district level.

For Oola’s sister, Aunu, who bought a brand new bicycle with the Shs500,000 from MTN said she wanted to break the barrier and perception that only men are the best cyclists in the region.

Aunu, who is married and runs a porridge making business in Minakulu trading center in Oyam district said growing up, she wanted to keep his father’s legacy of being a once celebrated cyclist alive.

“We saw the awards daddy collected while he was healthy and yet he is now forgotten and now a bicycle repairer, I wanted to remind the nation of who he was.” Aunu said.

According to Aunu, she will now use the 1 million shillings she won to expand on her porridge business which had been struggling due to limited capital.

Jacob Ochaya, a  bicycle racing coach, mentored by Odong said that they have a vision of expanding their bicycle racing Club to the whole district, and open it up to the cyclists from the region.

Ochaya said that time management, focus, and passion is what he believes helped the duo from the same family win the race.

“We knew and studied our potential competitors, so we prepared them to win”, Ochaya said.

Ambrose Olaa, the Prime Minister Ker Kwaro Acholi said the vision of organizing the tournament was achieved saying that one of it was to identify and give a platform for them to showcase their talents.

Olaa said that Acholi Sub Region is gifted with talent in various disciplines which need to be identified, developed and promoted.

“Acholi is blessed with talent, our only problem is the platform for us to present them to the nation. We wouldn’t have seen these talents that have been showcased in the bicycle race competition”, Olaa said.