Sande Bashaija
8 July 2009
Tororo — Agnes Aneno has felt the impact of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) more than any other local athlete. Her mother Agnes Lanyelo and siblings are confined in Pabor Internally Displaced People's (IDP) camp, thanks to Joseph Kony's men, who have wrecked northern Uganda with maximum brutality for the past 20 years.
Guns have since fallen silent following protracted peace talks between government and LRA leaders, but Aneno's family won't dare leave the camp in Gulu. "They can't go back home," the 17-year-old runner says as her eyes start becoming teary. "It's horrible in the camp but it's safer than going back to the village."
Set to represent Uganda at the World Youth Championships getting underway today in Sudtirol, Italy, Aneno has overcome humbling challenges to pursue a career in athletics. "Look at me, I just can't believe what I am at the moment. Almost every athlete in Tororo admires me nowadays," she says with a broad smile after undergoing a light workout at the dilapidated Tororo Municipal stadium last week. "I never thought I would be such a star," she adds.
Aneno had a taste of the Kony rebellion during her childhood but was lucky to get away from Gulu and settle with her uncle Charles Obote, who works in Tororo town. "Life in Pabor was so horrible. Although very young, all we could do was till the gardens regularly for survival," she recalls. Aneno started running while at Sacred Heart Primary School as a 10-year-old but never imagined competing at the top level. "I was a long distance runner and could compete from 800 metres upwards."
Lack of school fees would, however, prematurely force her out of school as the family had no source of income.
"I never got a chance of meeting my father. I don't even know what he looks like. They told me he died many years ago. So without a dad, my mother couldn't cater for all the family needs." The runner relocated to Tororo in 2000 and resumed school a year later at Tororo College Primary with assistance from her uncle.
While in Primary Five in 2003, she swept honours in all distance races at school level. After her primary education, she joined Reliance Secondary School but could only stay there for one-and-a half years. "I still had problems with fees yet school administrators were not tolerant. They always wanted me to represent the school in sports but when it came to chasing fees defaulters I was never spared."
Turning point
Aneno's talent was always going to pay off. She landed a full board scholarship at Rock High School in Senior Two. She represented the school at the district competitions in 2007, this time as a sprinter.
Her potential caught the eye of coach James Mugeni, who has since turned around the youngster's fortunes. "He (Mugeni) came to me after I had won the 200 metres and said he wanted to train me. I couldn't refuse," Aneno says. Mugeni, a Tororo-based health practitioner, is one of very few Ugandans, who have sacrificed personal resources to promote athletics.
In May 2007, Mugeni, the proprietor of Fame Athletics Club, took Aneno alongside other athletes to compete in Kakamega, Kenya. "It was my first time to compete outside Uganda and I felt very nervous. I f inished second in the heats but was beaten to seventh in the finals. Remember there were only eight finalists!" With all the hard work and Mugeni's midas touch, which has transformed the careers of other national runners like Samuel Egadu and Stephen Odwar, Aneno started showing competitive mettle last year. She represented Rock High in the National Post Primary competitions in Kapchorwa, finishing fourth in 100m and 200m respectively before snatching bronze in 400m. "After Kapchorwa, I invested more time in training. That's why when I went back to Kakamega for the trials, I won both the 200m and 400m."
Biggest test
In April this year, Aneno got the nod of the technical committee to represent the country at the Eastern Africa Youth Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "It was my first time to board a plane. Everything was new to me but I remained composed."
Surprisingly, Aneno managed a three-medal haul (400m silver, 200m gold and long jump bronze) at her biggest competition yet. "I had never tried out long jump before. But after completing my track races, I decided to go and jump just to keep myself occupied. However, in the end, I finished third. The coach couldn't believe it," she stresses. Now, Aneno is facing her biggest test this week-competing against other world youth stars in Italy. With a personal best time (PB) of 56.1 seconds in 400 metres, coach Mugeni wants the runner to lower her mark to 55.1 seconds and qualify for next year's World Youth Championships in Canada.
Aneno is, however, determined to fare better than his coach's expectations. "I don't understand what coach is talking about. For me, running 55 seconds is a walk in the park. I can even do it in training. I am very optimistic, I will run 54 in Italy," with a confident look, Aneno promises. Her mission is more than winning medals. "The competition is going to be very tough, I am aware of that. But I am also aware that running is the only way through which I can live a better life. Since I am competing in two races (200m and 400m), my target is to win a medal or two, go to the junior championships and start making some money thereafter to help my mother."
The last born of six (two girls and four boys), the Senior Four student is determined to use athletics to heal the wounds inflicted on her family by the LRA insurgency. "At the moment, I find it difficult balancing books and running. Everyday I wake up at 4am to be able to train before classes, which is difficult. But I will keep trying."
Selfless effort
Coach Mugeni, a former sprinter, is upbeat Aneno has a bright future. "She is not the best runner here. But her hard work and character make her stand out," Mugeni, who now stays with Aneno and three other runners under the same roof, reveals.
From his monthly earnings and handouts from well-wishers, Mugeni manages to feed the four runners on a daily basis and transport them for competitions in and outside the country.
"My wife is up in arms against me. She is unhappy that I am spending lots of money on the runners yet some basics are missing at home," displaying a message on his mobile phone, which his wife sent threatening to walk out of the home, Mugeni says.
Passion and love for the sport has nonetheless kept him going. "If I quit, where will Agnes and the rest go?" he asks. Two other runners from Fame Athletics Club including Prossy Nalukanga, had qualified for Italy but the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) couldn't secure funds for a bigger team.
Aneno left for Italy on Sunday as the only female athlete on the team of four. "Something has to be done about Uganda's athletics. Imagine Kenya is taking 42 competitors to Italy. What's wrong with Uganda?" he wonders. Although Aneno is uncomfortable being in Italy without a female compatriot, she can't stop praising coach Mugeni for his selfless effort towards improving her career. "He has helped me a lot and I feel heavily indebted to him."
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