Uganda Athletes in Action on Saturday:
•Men’s 3000m SC heats – Leonard Chemutai (12:50pm)
•Women’s 1500m Heats – Winnie Nanyondo (2:48pm)
•Men’s 1500m Heats – Abu Mayanja (08:20pm)
•Women’s 10,000m final – Stella Chesang & Sarah Chelangat (9:55pm)
Five of the 20 athletes representing Uganda at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, will be in action on Day One (Saturday) in Budapest, Hungary.
The five include Stella Chesang and Sarah Chelangat who have a chance to win a medal(s) in the Women’s 10,000m final.
Chesang won gold in this distance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, but has since struggled to leave a mark at any championship.
Last year at the Worlds in Oregon, she finished 14th despite setting a National Record of 31.01.04.
And she later finished 4th at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, missing out on a medal bracket.
Chelangat on the other hand, didn’t compete in Oregon but will be hoping to stun a classy field led by Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and World Record Holder Letesen Gidey.
Winnie Nanyondo will compete in the Women’s 1500m, starting with Saturday’s heats.
She will come in Heat 4, and the first six from each heat will qualify for the semifinals.
Her heat has favorites) Jessica Hull (Australia), Hirut Meshaha (Ethiopia) and Ciara Mageean (Ireland) but she will fancy her chances to finish in the top six.
Nanyondo whose Personal Best is at 3:59:56, returns to the country where she ran 4:01.96 on July 18 this year at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial.
She has always gone past the heats, but it’s the semifinals that may pose a challenge, despite finishing 7th at the Tokyo Olympics.
Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) who won gold in Oregon and Laura Muir (England) will be the favorites at this distance.
Abu Mayanja will be in Heat three of the Men’s 1500m where the first six will also qualify to the semifinals.
Leonard Chemutai will be in the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, Heat 2, targeting to be among the top five who go through to the semifinals.
Action will be live on Super Sport Variety three and Grandstand.
