Istanbul: Kipsiro, Mutekanga keep Uganda's hopes high

Mar 10, 2012

Ugandan athletes at the ongoing IAAF World Indoor championships in Istanbul, Turkey have advanced to the semifinal and the final slated for today and Sunday.

 By Norman Katende

Ugandan athletes at the ongoing IAAF World Indoor championships in Istanbul, Turkey have advanced to the semifinal and the final slated for today and Sunday.

Moses Kipsiro qualified for the finals of the 3000m after finishing among the top four while Julius Mutekanga sailed to the semifinals of the 800m with one of the fastest times (1:49.81sec).

Aware of what was required for him to advance, Kipsiro took charge of the race as early as the first of the 13-lap race to increase the pace. The indoor track is shorter than the normal track.

By leading the heat, he was not only dictating the pace but also avoiding being spiked by running into the extra field.

The race would have remained stable until Bahrain Bilusuma Shugi went ahead and increased the pace, leaving Kipsiro just running behind him.

However Australian Craig Mottram took the lead as they approached the bell with Soi sprinting from fifth position to start a three-man race to the finish.

By the time the y reached the finish line, they had all settled after knowing that they had qualified for Sunday’s final.

Earlier, Mutekanga qualified as the third of the six qualifiers with the fastest times. Knowing very well that it was going to be a tight race to finish among the top two in the heats, Mutekanga, who finished third, took an early lead to dictate the pace at the biennial event started in Istambul on Friday.

He was overtaken by Kenya’s Boaz Kiplagat Lalang and USA’s Michael Rutt towards the home straight, but the Ugandan achieved his target of qualification.

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