Uganda’s 28-athlete contingent will have their sights on gold during the IAAF World Cross Country Championship on Sunday at the Kololo ceremonial grounds, reports JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE.
Former Olympic and world champion Stephen Kiprotich, who will be representing Uganda in the IAAF World Cross Country (WCC) this Sunday for the first time, says the team is in high spirits.
“Being at home fills us with confidence to do well. We have prepared well and cannot wait to get going,” Kiprotich, the 2012 Olympic marathon and 2013 world champion, said yesterday.
At the last WCC event in 2015 in Guiyang, China, Uganda senior women’s team bagged bronze after their exploits in the eight-kilometre race. In the senior men’s 12km race, Uganda finished fifth overall.
In the junior’s category, the men covered 8km finishing fifth while the women were fourth in the 6km race. In the end, Uganda finished joint fourth alongside Eritrea, something they expect to be a springboard for better results this time.
However, Kiprotich remarked that because of the high stakes, it is going to be tough. Kenya poses a big threat to Uganda’s ambitions. But Kiprotich thinks Team Uganda has had a number of individuals who have come of age.
Joshua Cheptegei, 20, will be one to watch after his experience at the Olympics last year in the 10,000 and 5,000 metres. He finished sixth and eighth respectively. But in the Africa Junior Championships in 2015, he bagged gold in the 10,000 metres, as he did at the World Junior Championships in Eugene, USA back in 2014.
Although Cheptegei and a number of others such as Emily Chebet, who was part of the bronze medal winning senior women’s team in Guiyang, are huge prospects, Kiprotich emphasized team-work, as the main tactic for success.
“We must coordinate and help each other for the good of the country even if there is reward for individual excellence,” Kiprotich said.
It is the concerted effort of the Kenyans and Ethiopians, that has enabled them to dominate these races over time. That dominance has not only stopped with the medals. Even the cash prizes have been swept by them.
At stake this time, will be $310,000 (or Shs 1.1 billion). For the individual races, the winner will walk away with $30,000, while second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth get $15,000, $10,000, $7,000, $5,000 and $3,000 respectively.
And in the team races, number one will win $20,000, two $16,000, third $12,000, fourth $10,000, fifth $8000 and sixth $4,000.
As for the mixed relay race, where Uganda will be represented by Winnie Nannyondo, Dorcus Ajok, Ronald Musagala and Geoffrey Ruto, the winners will bag $12,000, runners-up $8,000, third $6,000 and fourth $4,000. It is only the junior races that have no cash prizes.
jovi@observer.ug