Athletes’ final chase for slots to African Games

Uganda’s athletics season in 2019 has glowed more than recent years with 15 national records (NR) set by nine different individuals.
 
With that benchmark, the levels of optimism are high ahead of the African Games due August 19-31 in Morocco and the grand stage at the IAAF Doha World Championships in Qatar from September 28 - October 6.
 
For every athlete, the ultimate goal is Doha. But if it fails, a ticket to Morocco is okay as half a loaf is better than no bread.
 


Already, 42 athletes have hit qualification grades for Morocco while 28 are Doha-bound.
 
Those numbers could increase by the end of this weekend if spikes speak in volumes at the National Track & Field Athletics Championships in Namboole.
 
The two-day event is the last platform on the local scene for athletes to attempt qualification to Morocco or Qatar.
 
In history, only four runners have managed to qualify for the Worlds or Olympics on home soil in Namboole; Ronald Musagala in 2013, Thomas Ayeko and Halimah Nakaayi in 2016 and Abu Mayanja in 2017.
 
But when a cast of 300 runners turns up for the track and field in Namboole on Friday, the desire will be to grow that list.
 
However, some participants may be curtailed by the lack of stiff competition considering most elite runners choose not to take part in local events, at least going by the recent outings.


 
Elites like Joshua Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo, Stephen Kiprotich, Winnie Nanyondo, Stella Chesang, Peruth Chemutai and Halimah Nakaayi often qualify abroad and by the time local events like this come, they already have parallel training programs.

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However, some runners especially in middle-distance races may be lucky. For instance, Ronald Musagala, who has rewritten the 1500m NR twice this season, is expected to help set pace for his training partner Mayanja to qualify over the 800m and 1500m.
 


Halimah Nakaayi could turn-up over the two-lap race and face-off with Docus Ajok while teenager Sarah Chelangat and Chesang are expected to compete over the 5000m.
 
Chelangat rewrote the 5000m NR to 15:00.61, a week after Chesang had broken it, while at the Nijmegen Global Athletics Meet in Netherlands on June 15.
 
In field events, teenager Josephine Lalam will contend for the women’s javelin crown against Lucy Aber and Victoria Awidi.
 

2019 National Track & Field Athletics Championships

Friday ay Namboole

Selected events: 

9am: Women’s Long jump, Women’s Shot put & Men’s javelin finals
10:50am: Women’s 10000m final
12pm: Men’s Long jump, Women’s javelin final
1pm: Women’s 3000m Steeplechase final
1:40pm: Men’s 100m final
2:20pm: Women’s 400m final
3:30pm: Men’s 10000m final

Saturday

Selected events

9:30am: Men’s High jump, Triple jump & Women’s discus finals
10am: Women’s 5000m final
12:10pm: Men’s 5000m final
12:40pm: Women’s 200m final
1:35pm: Women’s 800m final
2:20pm: Men’s Steeplechase final
3:10pm: Women’s 4 X 400m Relay final
 
This writer is a global broadcaster and as well scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and sports presenter with Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune
 


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