Middle distance runner Ronald Musagala smashed a long standing National record in Uganda athletics.
Musagala finished sixth at the Oslo Bisset Games at the fourth meeting of this season’s Diamond League.
Despite a lowly position, his time of 3:53.04 erased Uganda’s previous best in the mile distance (1600m).
Julius Achon haf held the record since June 1999 when he set 3:55.38 at the TFA Pro Championships in New York, United States.
Then, Musagala was a toddler. Aged 7 when Achon set the mile record.
Achon, has since retired from athletics and was elected Member of Parliament, representing Otuke County in Northern Uganda, in 2016.
Musagala is now a two-national-record holder for Uganda. He also owns the 1500m national record which he improved to 3:30.58 in August 2019 in Paris Diamond league.
In Oslo, where the men’s mile was titled the Svein Arne Hansen Dream Mile in respect to the meeting’s former director who passed away last year, it was Australia’s Stewart McSweyn who came fastest at a time of 3:48.37.
Marcin Lewandowski and Jye Edwards came second and third while Kenya’s Charles Simotwo was fourth.
Musagala who came sixth, also improved his personal best and will look at such positives as he pursues for 1500m podium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Earlier, Halimah Nakaayi powered in second in the 800m with 1:58:70, a second behind Grace Kate of United States.
Nakaayi’s ability to finish under two minutes will be a good start as she looks to scoop gold in Tokyo, to add on her surprise gold in Doha at the 2019 World Championships.
