Written By |
Loice Chekwemoi after she won Gold during the 2000m steeplechase
Search
Promising teenage runner Loice Chekwemoi is neither a prominent figure nor a new name in the athletics world at least in Uganda.
The 18 year old only came to surprise many speakers at the just concluded 23rd African senior athletics championships at Stade Omnisport de Japoma, Douala in Cameroon when she beat Kenyan and Ethiopian opponents to run to the pole position.
Loice Chekwemoi posing with a medal
On her maiden senior appearance and at competition of it’s level, Chekwemoi run to the finishing tape almost unchallenged on 9:24.47 minutes, beating Ethiopia’s Alemnat Wale who came second in a distance on 9:35.19 and Kenya’s Leah Kibet settled for bronze after clocking 9:36.33 minutes.
"This is the first time I've taken part in the African senior championships and I'm very happy to win the gold medal. I was really prepared for this,” the happy Chekwemoi was quoted speaking to the press after her triumph.
How she started
Before the Douala heroics, Chekwemoi had been promisingly growing into an athlete Uganda would look at in her right time for international fame, under the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) development ranks.
The Chamanga SS student had picked up middle distance races and specialized in 1500m where she won several national and FEASSA but that was to say an understudy development.
Loice Chekwemoi had a breakthrough when she won the ISF 1500m gold in Belgrade Serbia in 2021. File Photo
Chekwemoi would then break through into a renown young middle distance runner of her age at USSSA level, when she won gold in 1500m at the 2021 post covid 19 International Schools Sports Association (ISF) U15 Gymnasiade games in Belgrade, Serbia.
It was Uganda’s first major international schools competition appearance and her contribution saw te country finish 2nd overall in Africa rankings behind Namibia and 7th overall.
The chase for a suitable race
Chekwemoi would then upgrade to 2000m steeplechase at ISF level for there is no 3000m steeplechase category at this level but she made a decision alongside the cross-country tests.
It did not take her long before heroically racing to the gold, her second international gold, at the 2022 ISF cross country championship held in the Slovakia city of Strbske.
Having travelled to Slovakia as favourite, Chekwemoi did not disappoint, as she run tactfully to beat a strong opposition from Morocco and hit the tape on 09:59.00 with Moroccan Birdaha Fatima coming behind on 10:01.00 while Ugandan Maureen Chebet settled for bronze at 10:04.00
In January 2022, Chekwemoi had tried in the national cross country championship in Tororo and finished in second for silver on 20:05.09 minutes, a couple of seconds behind winner Scarlet Chebet.
Settling for 3000m steeplechase
Chekwemoi would now be identified by the local athletics body as a promising 3000m steeplechase runner, and would take part in the national trials and her first national trials came in April 2021 where she finished 2nd in 10:44.04 minutes before winning the race in the 2022 trials with an improved time of 10:19.82 minutes.
At the ISF Gymnasiade at Stade Helitas, Caen, Normandy in France, Chekwemoi run to the 2000m steeplechase gold in a time of 6:36:22 minutes before finishing 6th in the August 2022 World athletics U20 championships at Pascual Guerrero stadium in Cali, Colombia with a much better time of 10:05.01.
Loice Chekwemoi during the 2000m steeplechase where she won Gold
In fact here she made personal best (PB) times in both the heats (10:07.0 and finals (10:05.01), having qualified with a 10:18.03.
Last year in April she made the Uganda team of juniors to the CAA championship in Ndola, Zambia, but was unsuccessful as she finished 5th on 6:31.12 minutes.
Her great finish in Douala gives her a positive look at the future even when she did not qualify for her dream international competitions, the Olympics due this month in Paris, France, but her future is bright.
Chekwemoi at a glance
Date of birth-12/12/2006
Place of birth: Kapawu, Kasero, Kasero sub-county, Kween district
School-Chemanga Seed SS
Class-S.5
Parents-Annet Chesagit and Patrick Rotich
She is a sister to Victor Cherotich who also boasts of sevarl ISF 1500m and 3000m silverware.
