Sande Bashaija
24 June 2009
With less than two months left to the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany, local senior athletes are well aware there is little time to qualify.
Apart from steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat, who seems to have hit peak form by setting a new national record of 8:12.98 minutes last week, the rest of the athletes are not convincing.
The Europe-based Moses Kipsiro and Abraham Chepkirwok are still recovering from long-term injuries while Boniface Kiprop has failed to regain his spark. But with continuous trial races, Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) believes the country can have more representatives at the World Championships.
"We have another trial at Namboole this weekend, which should be a good avenue for distance runners to try and make the team," UAF publicity secretary Namayo Mawerere told Daily Monitor yesterday.
Namboole is the only venue with a standard running track in Uganda but lack of an electronic timer continues to deny sprinters chance to qualify on home soil. "After the Saturday competition, we have about three more trials and a national championship. Hopefully, many athletes can hit the mark in those competitions," Mawerere added.
The Saturday trials may miss the University students who are meant to travel to Serbia for the World University Games.
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