Uganda will arrive at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 with high expectations and a sense of history, as the East African nation celebrates 100 years since the founding of its athletics federation.
The Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF), established in 1925, is marking its centenary with what could be the country’s strongest-ever showing at a global athletics competition.
Led by Olympic gold medallist Joshua Cheptegei and a cast of emerging stars including Jacob Kiplimo and Peruth Chemutai, Uganda is eyeing a record medal haul in Tokyo.
The 2025 championships, scheduled to take place from September 13 to 21, offer a timely stage for the country’s athletes to honour a century of progress with standout performances.
Uganda’s performance in recent global competitions has set the tone.
At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, the country finished with two medals — gold in the men’s 10,000m and bronze in the men’s 5000m — both courtesy of Cheptegei.
With Cheptegei confirming this will be his final World Championships appearance, Tokyo could mark the climax of a storied career and the transition to a new generation of runners.
The team heading to Tokyo also includes rising middle-distance and steeplechase prospects who impressed at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the World U20 Championships.
Their inclusion signals both continuity and a changing of the guard.
“We are no longer just a long-distance country,” national coach Benjamin Njia noted. “We are building depth across multiple disciplines, and this championship will show that.”
Preparations for Tokyo 25 are already underway, with a high-altitude training camp planned in Kapchorwa and international competitions lined up as tune-ups.
The UAF is also working with government and private partners to ensure the athletes receive full support ahead of the global event.
The federation’s centenary year has also been marked by a series of celebrations, including national cross-country events, legacy documentaries, and community outreach to promote athletics at the grassroots level.
