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Aki Bua Memorial atheleteics going on at Namboole
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By Our Reporter
Uganda’s top athletes have started at Namboole Stadium, as Athletics Uganda holds the Akii-Bua Memorial Athletics Championship in honour of the legendary John Akii-Bua.
The event, now in its 25th edition, is also part of the celebrations marking 100 years of Athletics Uganda (formerly Uganda Athletics Federation - UAF). 
According to Athletics Uganda publicist Abdallah Mohammad, all is set for the highly anticipated championship, with elite athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Uganda already in the country.
Kenya’s team is led by Sarah Moora, the reigning African 800m champion and sister to celebrated 800m star Mary Moraa. Moora faces stiff competition from Uganda’s own Halima Nakaayi, the 2019 World 800m Champion.
A hotly contested race is the women’s 400m, where national record holder Shida Leni is competing against fellow Ugandan Maureen Banura, along with a strong field of runners from Kenya and Ethiopia.
Uganda’s athletics legends Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo are present at the event, although they are not competing. In addition to elite competition, Athletics Uganda has organized special races featuring legends and corporate participants, including men’s and women’s 10km fun runs, 4x100m relays, and a 2000m steeplechase.
Cash prizes staked for winners in the fun races: 10km Fun Run: UGX 1,000,000 for the winner; UGX 800,000 for second place; UGX 700,000 for third place; and UGX 100,000 for the tenth finisher.
2000m Steeplechase: UGX 250,000 for the winner; UGX 200,000 for second; UGX 150,000 for third; UGX 100,000 and UGX 50,000 for fourth and fifth places respectively.
Athletics Uganda president Dominic Otucet
Founded in 1925, Athletics Uganda celebrates a century of producing global icons in track and field.
The late John Akii-Bua, who won Uganda’s first Olympic gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and Davis Kamoga’s bronze in the 400m at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, are among the federation’s biggest milestones.
Other stars who have shaped Uganda’s athletics legacy include Boniface Kiprop, Moses Kipsiro, Docus Inzikuru, Stephen Kiprotich, Peruth Chemutai, Halima Nakaayi, Jacob Kiplimo, and Joshua Cheptegei, alongside many others who have earned accolades on regional and global stages.
Torch Media Africa
