Everyone has one, two, three, or maybe even more people they define as role models.
In honour of Women’s Day, Matooke Republic has compiled a list of the new breed of young women role models in Ugandan sport.
They were chosen based on their current influence both on and off the field.
Peruth Chemutai
Peruth Chemutai is a Ugandan steeple chase runner. She won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the women’s 3000 metres steeplechase race, becoming the first Ugandan woman ever to win an Olympic medal.
Hailing from the Bukwo District, she took up running in 2013 after attending the District Athletics Championships in Bukwo as a casual fan.
At the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia, she won silver medals in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres.
She also competed in the junior women’s race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, finishing in 7th place.
Just last month, the 22-year-old reigned supreme at the World Athletics Cross Country Gold Meeting 2022 edition in Hannut, Belgium. Chemutai broke the tape after clocking 20:43, grabbing her first win of the year.
Juliet Nalukenge
The 18-year-old Uganda footballer Juliet Nalukenge plays for Chrisomilia in Cyprus and the Uganda women’s national team (The Crested Cranes).
The promising forward, Nalukenge was named Ugandan Women’s Player of the Year in 2019 and earlier this month, she finished ninth in the Goal (website) NXGN Award for the best young female footballer in the world.
She began her playing career at Kawempe Muslim High School at the youth level in the regional leagues, and in 2015–16, she broke into the first team to play at the FUFA Women’s Elite League level.
Nalukenge won her first cap for the senior Uganda women’s national team on 8 April 2018, in a 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification first round fixture against Kenya.
Fauzia Najjemba
Fauzia Najjemba is the captain of the Uganda U20 Women’s National Team. She recently completed her dream move to Kazakhstan Women Championship outfit BIIK Kazygurt.
The forward signed a two-year deal to join the Kazakh Champions, leaving Kampala Queens where she featured for the last two seasons.
2021 was a good year for Najjemba as she finished as the top scorer for Uganda at the CECAFA U20 Women’s Championship with eleven goals in five games.
Such a good display made her win the FUFA Female Footballer of the Year, thus attracting interest from several teams across the world.
Kirabo Namutebi
16-year-old Kirabo Namutebi is an exceptional swimmer who represented Uganda at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in the women’s 50m freestyle.
She featured at the FINA World Junior Championship in Budapest Hungary 2019, breaking the Uganda National women’s 50m freestyle record.
Namutebi also participated in the 2019 African Junior Swimming Championships in Tunisia and won two gold medals and a silver. This was the first time the Uganda National Anthem was played at continental events.
In the Montgomery County Swim League 2019, she was ranked 2nd in 50 freestyle and among the top 6 in 50 breaststroke and 50 butterfly in the all-stars event that climaxes the league.
She was crowned USPA swimmer of the year 2013, the youngest recipient of the award at eight years. She scooped USPA Uganda Female swimmer of the year in 2019.
Husnah Kukundakwe
Husnah Kukundakwe is a swimmer who is currently Uganda’s only classified paralympic swimmer. Her first appearance at the World Championships in London was mentioned among the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC’s) Top 10 Moments of 2019.
The 14-year-old began swimming at the age of five and is a member of the Dolphins Swim Club Kampala.
Locally, she participated in the 2017 DSTV swimming gala challenge at Greenhill Academy, Kampala.
Kukundakwe participated in the 2018 Korea Paralympic Youth Camp where she won gold in the 100m breaststroke.
As of May 2019, Kukundakwe was competing in the S9 (freestyle, butterfly and backstroke), SB8 (breaststroke) and SM9 (Individual Medley) which were reviewed at the World Para Swimming World Series 2019 in Singapore.
She recorded three personal best times in the 100m breaststroke (1:57.8), 100m freestyle (1:30.43) and 50m freestyle (40.24).
From this event, she qualified and was Uganda’s sole representative at the London 2019 World Para Swimming Allianz Championships. At this event, she bettered her times in the 50m (38.14) and 100m (1:24.85) freestyle events.