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Uganda: Kiplagat for World Athletics Championships
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New Vision (Kampala)
3 July 2008
Posted to the web 4 July 2008
Norman Katende
Kampala
BENJAMIN Kiplagat will lead Uganda's hunt for medals at the World Junior Athletics Championship that starts in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old 3000m steeplechase star, who has run the world's sixth fastest time this season, will captain a team of six athletes to the biennial games.
With a personal best of 8:14.29, which is also a national record, Kiplagat has posted the best time for a junior athlete this season. He finished sixth in the same event in Beijing two years ago.
With a fourth place finish in the world junior cross country championship in Edinburgh in March, the lanky middle distance runner is a good bet to continue a strong Ugandan tradition at the world juniors' competition.
Uganda has won three medals in the last four editions. Dorcus Inzikuru won gold in 2000, Boniface Kiprop won gold in 2004 and Abraham Chepkirwok won bronze in 2006.
"The team has trained hard, been exposed and is experienced. I am optimistic we will have a medal," said local athletics federation secretary Beatrice Ayikoru.
Also on the team are Geoffrey Kusuro and Stephen Kiprotich who were part of the national junior team at the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland early this year. The other members on the team are Doreen Chesang, Abraham Kiplimo and Moses Kibet, who have been training in the Netherlands. Apart from 18-year-old Chesang and 17-year-old Kibet, all the other athletes are 19 years old.
Uganda's leading female sprinter Justine Bayigga has got another chance to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games after being invited to compete in the Kenya Olympic Trials today.
Bayigga, who arrived late for the Kenya National Championships and could not recover fast enough to hit the target last weekend, got a go ahead from the Kenyan athletics governing body. "I spoke to David Okeyo (secretary Athletics Kenya) who told me that I can compete. I am now training hard with Liz (Elizabeth Muthoka, Kenyan 400m runner)," Bayigga said.
Bayigga must run below 52 seconds for her to qualify for Beijing. Her personal best is 52.39.
Meanwhile Waisswa Lukungu will lead a series of national runners seeking glory at the West Nile regional championship at Cecilia grounds in Moyo tomorrow. Lukungu has lost the last three events and will look to redeem himself in the MTN sponsored event which is expected to give birth to new sprint faces.
Hosts Kapchorwa and Bukwa started strongly in the national post primary schools athletics cross country race yesterday.
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Joseph Chebet led Kapchorwa to pole position in the boy's category in 25:51.4. He was followed by teammate Dixon Huru in 25:51.5. Bukwo later snatched a 1-2-3 win in the girls category led by Dorcus Chesang (21:51.3).
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