The ongoing African Games in Morocco are at a real test as top athletes in different disciplines are shunning them to focus on other global championships.
And that is even if 15 disciplines in Morocco guarantee qualification to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan next year.
Ugandan middle-distance runner Ronald Musagala is another elite figure to skip the Games as he seeks to concentrate on preparing for next month’s IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
To be honest, Musagala could been a gold medal hopeful for the 1500m in Morocco had he opted to go. Why?
The 26-year-old has run the third fastest time over the distance in 2019 - 3:30.58 minutes - which also stands as Uganda’s national record.
Athletics begins in Morocco on Monday but prior on Saturday, Musagala will line-up to meet the most experienced and arguably strongest field for the 1500m at the Paris Diamond League Meet.
“Musagala has shown being capable winning ‘smaller’ races. He now needs to do so at the highest level,” his manager Jurrie van der Velden said.
Last weekend, Musagala expectedly won the 1500m race at the Birmingham Diamond League Meet in England but he now meets a pretty strong opposition.
It includes one of the two men who have run faster than him in 2019; the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigsten (3:30.16). Kenyan Ferguson Cheruyiot and European Indoor champion Polish Marcin Lewandowski are also in the fray.
IAAF PARIS DIAMOND LEAGUE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 - 9PM EAT
Men’s 1500m: Ronald Musagala
Women’s 800m: Winnie Nanyondo
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase: Albert Chemutai
MUSAGALA AT A GLANCE
Date of birth: December 16, 1992
Major races: 1500m
Personal Best: 3:30.58 (1500m)
Major Honour: 2018 Africa Senior bronze (1500m)
Manager: Jurrie van der Velden
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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