The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
✳ Cheptegei -2 Mile – 11.56pm
✳ Kiplimo -2 Mile – 11.56pm
✳ Chemutai -3000m SC – 11.12pm
✳ Nakaayi -800m – 11.48pm
✳ Nanyondo -1500m – 12.12am
Eugene, USA | URN & XINHUA | Three Ugandan medalists at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympic Games are set to face off with other stars when the Eugene Diamond League takes place on Aug. 21 in the United States.
Uganda’s Olympic medalists Joshua Cheptegei, Peruth Chemutai and Jacob Kiplimo will take part. Cheptegei and Chemutai are the first gold medalists for Uganda since Stephen Kiprotich in 2012 and John Akii Bua in 1972.
Dominic Otuchet, president of UAF told Xinhua that they are confident the five Ugandan runners fresh from the Olympics will perform well in the Diamond League.
“The season started a few months back and the Olympics was just one of the events on the calendar,” said Otuchet.
Cheptegei who won a gold medal in the 5,000m final and silver in the 10,000m and and Kiplimo who picked a bronze medal in the 10,000m are expected to face tough competition in the 2-mile race in Eugene.
They will be battling against Canada’s Mohamed Ahmed who won silver in the 5000m race and USA Paul Chelimo who won bronze at the Olympics among other athletes.
Chemutai 22, will also be on track the women’s 3000m steeplechase where she will be taking on World Champion Beatrice Chepkoech who finished 7th place in Tokyo, Olympic silver medalist Courtney Frerichs (USA), among other contestants.
Chemutai became the first Uganda female athlete to win an Olympic medal when she nagged a gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase.
The other Ugandan Olympians who will take part in the event include world champion Halima Nakaayi and common wealth bronze medalist Winnie Nakaayi.
Nanyondo finished 5th in the semifinals of the Olympic Games in the 800m race where she posted 4:01:64. She also finished 7th in the finals of the 1500 meters. After the Olympics, she said her focus is on the Eugene Diamond League.
****
URN
KAMPALA, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) —
Namayo Mawerere, publicity secretary of Uganda Athletics Federation told Xinhua on Monday that this will be another opportunity for the athletes to prove to the world that they are getting better and better.
The medalists include Joshua Cheptegei who won a gold medal in the 5,000m final and a silver in the 10,000m final, Jacob Kiplimo who won a bronze medal in the 10,000m final, and Perthu Chemutai who bagged gold in the women’s 3,000 steeplechase final.
Winnie Nanyondo and Halimah Nakaayi are the other two Ugandan athletes who will join the three medalists at the Eugene Diamond League.
Cheptegei and Kiplimo are expected to face stiff competition in the two-mile race in Eugene against Canada’s Mohamed Ahmed and Paul Chelimo of the United States who won silver and bronze respectively at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, Uganda’s Chemutai will face world champion Beatrice Chepkoech and Olympic silver medalist Courtney Frerichs among others.
