It’s not bad if one says Uganda’s journey at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan has officially started as the athletics kicked off this morning at 3:25am.
Ugandan middle-distance runner Albert Chemutai was the first to grace the track and he sadly fell short of qualifying for the 3000m steeplechase final.
Chemtai finished a distant ninth in Heat 1 as he crossed the finish line in a time of 8:29.81.
After him, Ugandan middle distance athletes Winnie Nanyondo and Halima Nakayi were also set for their race. The good news is that the duo eased their way into the Women’s 800m semifinals.
Nanyondo finished second in the first heat in 2:02.02, barely a second behind race winner Renelle Lamote of France.
World champion Nakaayi finished fourth in fast-paced Heat 2 and advances to the semifinals as one of the next fastest six across the six heats. Nakaayi’s 2:00.92 puts her second on the list of the six fastest out of the field qualification places.
The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, July 31 starting at 2:50pm (EAT).