Uganda’s 17 member athletics team is set to arrive on Saturday afternoon after producing the country’s strongest return at the Islamic Solidarity Games with seven medals across distance and sprint events.
The group finished as Uganda’s top performing discipline at the sixth edition of the Games in Saudi Arabia.
The campaign opened with Rebecca Chelangat’s gold in the women’s 10000 meters, where she won in 32:11.41. Her win set the early standard for a team that went on to dominate long distance races.
Samuel Simba Cherop and Abel Chebet followed with silver and bronze respectively in the men’s 10000 meters, giving Uganda a double on the podium. The results kept Uganda in the medal conversation through the middle of the week.
Halima Nakaayi added another silver in the women’s 800 meters after clocking 2:03.14, while Shida Leni earned bronze in the women’s 400 meters with a time of 52.72.
The consistency continued when Cherop Charity finished second in the women’s 5000 meters in 15:47.01.
Cherop, who had already claimed silver in the longer event, closed Uganda’s run with a bronze in the men’s 5000 meters on Thursday night in 13:46.45. The 18 year old leaves Saudi Arabia with two medals from two finals.
The team returns home tonight as Uganda celebrates a performance that pushed the athletics program to the front of the national tally.
