Full account of Uganda's performance at 2022 Commonwealth Games

BIRMINGHAM 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧

Team Uganda says goodbye to Birmingham with a total of five medals - including three gold - to show for from a praiseworthy outing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Three of the medals were won on the Alexander Stadium track, one on the road and the other in the ring.

The latest golden achievement in the UK's second-largest city is a replica of Uganda's performance on Australia's Gold Coast in 2018 when the team's six-medal bag featured three gold, with two coming from Joshua Cheptegei, the current world record-holder in the 10,000m and 5,000m.

This time around, with 25-year-old Cheptegei absent, it has been his younger compatriot Jacob Kiplimo that has stepped up and sprinkled the stardust on yet another laudable participation of Team Uganda on the global sporting stage.

There were hits and near-misses in the various disciplines that Ugandan athletes competed in.

But generally, it comes down to the collective feat of being among only 26 (out of 72 participating) nations that have won at least one gold medal in Birmingham - pending the results from the events of Monday, the last day of the Games.

Kiplimo twice had to shake off determined pairings of Kenyan resistance to complete a rare long-distance double (10,000m & 5,000m gold) and become only the fourth man to achieve the feat.

Cheptegei (2018) and Moses Kipsiro (2010) are the other two Ugandans to have completed that double at the same Games.

Before Kiplimo's triumph, compatriot Victor Kiplangat had opened Uganda's medals account with a historic gold in the men's marathon.

By doing so, he became the first Ugandan to win a marathon gold at the Commonwealth Games after Solomon Mutai's second-place finish (silver) at the 2018 marathon.

Teddy Nakimuli boxed her way into local history books when she became the first Ugandan female boxer to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.

She lost her light flyweight semi-final fight against Northern Ireland's Carly McNaul and had to settle for bronze.

Peruth Chemutai was rewarded for her act of valour with a bronze medal in the women's 3,000m steeplechase final after crashing awfully on a hurdle towards the end of the race. 

That time when she emerged for the medals ceremony the morning after the race limping with crutches to the podium, and later breaking down as her name was announced as the bronze medallist, was arguably one of the most emotional moments of these Games.

So those, up there, are the sources of Team Uganda's medals at these concluding Games, a 22nd edition that has served up copious amounts of sporting thrills and spills over the last 11 days.

Here is a detailed account of how Team Uganda participants performed in their respective events, including athletics, netball, boxing, badminton, swimming, table tennis, squash, weightlifting, road cycling, rugby and wrestling:
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DAY ONE - Friday, July 29

In badminton, Uganda lost 0-5 to Canada in the mixed team group stage. The contests involved mixed doubles, men's & women's singles and men's & women's doubles.

In table tennis, Uganda lost 0-3 to Canada in their women's team group 4 match that featured doubles and singles. Later in the day, Uganda were again on the losing end - this time against Wales. It was a 0-3 defeat still in the women's team group.

In boxing, Joshua Tukamuhebwa beat Northern Ireland's John Paul Hale 3-2 in a round of 32 light welterweight bout to advance to the round of 16.

In rugby sevens, Uganda started off on a losing note in the form of a 14-27 defeat to neighbours Kenya in Group D, before going on to draw 12-12 against Australia.

In squash, Paul Kadoma lost his round of 64 men's singles match against Guyana's Jason-Ray Khalil in a 2-3 result. Michael Raymond Kawooya won his game at this round, beating Marcus Allen Adela of Seychelles 3-0.

In swimming, Husnah Biramahiire Kukundakwe was the last to touch the wall in her heat in the women's 100m freestyle S9. She swam in a time of 1:19.01, 15.63 seconds behind heat winner Sophie Pascoe of New Zealand. The Ugandan's time was not enough to take her into the final.

Kirabo Namutebi finished 7th (33.87) in the women's 50m breaststroke heats, failing to advance to the semi-finals.

Although Atuhaire Ogola Ambala was the first to tap the wall in the men's 100m backstroke heats, his time of 1:01.68 was not fast enough to take him into the semi-finals.

In the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay heats, Uganda finished 5th in the second heat in a time of 3:51.75, which was not enough to earn them a spot in the final.
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DAY TWO - Saturday, July 30

This was the day Team Uganda got their first medal of the Games.

It came courtesy of Victor Kiplangat's triumph of the men's marathon in a time of 2:1055 to take gold. In the women's marathon, Linet Toroitich Chebet finished in 10th, clocking 2:38.32, which was 11.01 seconds behind winner Jessica Stenson of Australia.

In badminton, Uganda lost 1-4 to Scotland in their Group C mixed team contest, which had mixed doubles, men's & women's singles and men's & women's doubles. Later in the day, Uganda beat Maldives 4-1.

In rugby sevens, Uganda beat Jamaica 40-0 in their third Group D game, before building on that with a 38-19 win over Sri Lanka.

In weightlifting, Davis Niyoyita did not finish in the men's 55kg final, where he came up short on the snatch with no successful lift. Meanwhile, Ugandan Miesa Musoke Nansikombi was one of two chief marshals at this final.

In table tennis, Uganda beat Vanuatu 3-0 in their women's team group 4 match.

In swimming, Kirabo Namutebi (26.54) finished 7th in the women's 50m freestyle heats. Her compatriot Avice Meya (1:10.35) was the first to tap the wall in heat one of the women's 100m backstroke.

In squash, Michael Raymond Kawooya lost his round of 32 men's singles match against Joel Makin of Wales in a 0-3 result.

In boxing, Jonathan Kyobe lost 1-4 to Botswana's George Molwantwa in a round of 32 featherweight bout. It was another defeat for Uganda, as Isaac Zebra Ssenyange was defeated 1-4 by Lesotho's Arena Pakela in a round of 32 light middleweight fight.

In netball, the She Cranes started their Games with a 40-53 defeat to New Zealand in Group B.
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DAY THREE - Sunday, July 31

In swimming, Atuhaire Ogola Ambala (54.04) tapped the wall in 5th place in the third heat of the men's 100m freestyle. In the same event, his compatriot Tendo Mukalazi (52.91) finished 4th in heat four. They did not make it to the semi-finals.

In rugby, it was another win in the bag for Uganda, as they beat Tonga 27-7 in the 9-12 semi-finals, to set up a 9th-place duel with England. Uganda would go on to lose 17-31 to the hosts to end their campaign in 10th place.

In boxing, Joshua Tukamuhebwa beat Australia's Billy Polkinghorn 4-1 in a round of 16 light welterweight fight to progress to the quarter-finals. It was mixed fortunes for Uganda as Yusuf Nkobeza lost 1-4 to England's Lewis Richardson in a round of 16 middleweight bout.

In squash, Paul Kadoma beat Marcus Allen Adela of Seychelles 3-0 in their round of 16 men's singles plate round match.

In netball, Uganda dispatched Trinidad & Tobago 62-28 to register their first Group B win.
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DAY FOUR - Monday, August 1

In swimming, Tendo Mukalazi completed his 50m breaststroke heat in 30.79 seconds, tapping the wall in second place. In the second heat of the women's 100m freestyle, Avice Meya was third, clocking 1:03.01. In the same heats, Kirabo Namutebi was 6th in heat five in a time of 1:01.58.

In squash, Paul Kadoma lost 1-3 to Kenya's Muqtadir Sadruddin Nimji in the quarter-finals of the men's singles plate.
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DAY FIVE - Tuesday, August 2

In athletics, Halimah Nakaayi automatically advanced to the final of the women's 800m final after crossing the line in second in a time of 1:59.35. In the women's 100m heats, Jacent Nyamahunge advanced automatically to the  semi-finals with a third-place finish in 11.53.

Jacob Kiplimo delivered Uganda's second medal at the Games when he won the men's 10,000m final with a new Games record of 27:09.19, which is also his season's best time.

In boxing, Owen Isaac Kibira advanced to the welterweight quarter-finals after beating Mohamed Hossan Ali of Bangladesh 5-0.

In netball, Uganda lost 35-56 to defending champions England in Group B.

In swimming, Atuhaire Ogola Ambala swam his 50m freestyle heat in 25.13 - he was the last to tap the wall (in 8th). Compatriot Tendo Mukalazi (24.37) finished 6th in his heat.
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DAY SIX - Wednesday, August 3

In table tennis, Judith Nangonzi lost 0-4 to England's Maria Tsaptsinos in a Group 5 women's singles match. She went on to lose her second match 0-4 against Malaysia's Ai Xin Tee.

In Group 11 of the women's singles, Rita Nakhumitsa beat Seychelles' Laura Sinon 4-0, before Florence Seera lost 2-4 to Oumehani Hosenally of Mauritius in Group 12. Nakhumitsa then lost 0-4 to Aishath Rafa Nazim of Maldives, as Seera suffered a second group defeat against Jersey's Hannah Silcock in a 1-4 result.

In athletics, Leni Shida (53.65) finished third in the women's 400m heats to advance automatically to the semi-finals. Tom Dradriga (1:51.40) failed to make it to the final after finishing 5th in the second heat of the men's 800m.

In the men's T11/12 100m (vision impairment) heats, Fred Masisa - guided by Joshua Jagalo - produced a personal best time of 12.26, but it was not enough to take him into the final. He finished fourth in his heat featuring four athletes.

Haron Adoli qualified for the men's 400m semi-finals after crossing the line second in heat six in a time of 46.38.

It was the end of the track for Jacent Nyamahunge after she failed to advance to the women's 100m final, finishing in 8th/8 in the third semi-final and clocking 11.58.

In the women's 10,000m final, defending champion Stella Chesang missed out on a podium finish after crossing the line in 4th place in 31:14.14. Compatriot Rachael Zena Chebet (32:30.95) was 10th in a race won by Scotland's Eilish McColgan in sensational fashion.

In netball, Uganda steadied their ship by beating Northern Ireland 63-26 in Group B.

In boxing, Teddy Nakimuli had a walkover after Sierra Leone's Sara Haghighat-Joo withdrew from their light flyweight quarterfinal bout. This took Nakimuli into the semi-finals, guaranteeing her a medal as well as instantly cementing her place in local history books by becoming the first Uganda female boxer to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Joshua Tukamuhebwa bowed out after losing 1-4 in his light welterweight quarter-final fight against Canada's Wyatt Sanford.
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DAY SEVEN - Thursday, August 4

In netball, The She Cranes continued with their momentum by extinguishing The Flames of Malawi 56-43 in their final Group B game to lock in their third-place group finish and at the same time set themselves up for a fifth-place playoff with South Africa, a repeat of what happened in 2018.

In athletics, Jacent Nyamahunge made it through to the semi-finals of the women's 200m after finishing third in heat two in 24.07 to take one of the three automatic qualification spots.

Abu Mayanja missed out on a place in the men's 1,500m final after crossing the line in 8th (3:46.56) in the first heat of round one. Emmanuel Otim also failed to make the final cut after finishing 9th (3:51.35) in the second heat.

In badminton, Ugandan pair Kenneth Comfort Mwambu and Justine Tracy Naluwooza lost 0-2 to Australia's Tran Hoang Pham and Angela Yu in the round of 32 mixed doubles. The pairing of Brian Kasirye and Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi also fell 0-2 to Australia's Ying Xiang Lin and Gronya Somerville.

In the round of 32 men's singles, Daniel Wanagaliya lost 0-2 to India's Srikanth Nammalwar Kidambi while Husna Kobugabe beat Kenya's Saumya Gupta 2-0 in the women's singles. Later, Brian Kasirye lost his round of 32 singles match against Zambia's Kalombo Mulenga in a 1-2 result.

In another round of 32 mixed doubles match on the day, Friday Attama and Sharifah Wanyana edged Ghana's Kelvin Evans Alphous and Prospera Nantuo 2-1. In the men's doubles, Attama and Mwambu lost 0-2 to Matthew Abela and Samuel Cassar of Malta.

Kobugabe paired up with Wanagaliya to beat Falkland Island's Ben Chater and Vicky Chater 2-0 in the round of 32 mixed doubles.

In road cycling, Charles Kagimu finished in 19th place in a time of 52:05.91 in the final of the men's individual time trial. Sarah Rachael Nanyanzi finished in 31st in 1:04:35.27 in the women's final.

In squash, Paul Kadoma and Michael Raymond Kawooya were defeated 0-2 by Canada's Nick Sachvie and David Baillargeon in the round of 32 men's doubles.

In boxing, Owen Isaac Kibira lost 0-5 to Zambia's Stephen Zimba in their welterweight quarter-final fight, effectively ending the Ugandan's journey agonisingly just outside the medals bracket.

In paraweightlifting, Dennis Mbaziira finished 6th in the men's heavyweight final after collecting 103.5 points from one valid attempt.
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DAY EIGHT - Friday, August 5

In netball, Uganda beat South Africa 54-48 to end their campaign in a historic 5th place - one better than their 6th-place finish in 2018 on the Gold Coast.

The final position meant that Uganda ended the Games as the highest-ranked African nation, with South Africa taking 6th place and Malawi 7th.

In table tennis, Jemimah Nakawala and Judith Nangonzi lost 0-3 to England's Charlotte Bardsley and Emily Bolton in the round of 32 women's doubles. Rita Nakhumitsa and Florence Seera were also defeated 1-3 by South Africa's Lailaa Edwards and Musfiquh Kalam in another women's doubles contest.

In athletics, Winnie Nanyondo crossed the line first in the second heat of the women's 1,500m to advance to the final. Her qualification time was 4:16.04.

Leni Shida failed to secure a spot in the women's 400m final after finishing 7th in 53.77 in the semi-finals. Jacent Nayamahunge, too, failed to to advance to the final of the women's 200m when she crossed the line in 5th place (23.86) in the semi-finals.

Haron Adoli registered a personal best time of 45.80 as he progressed to the final of the men's 400m after impressively finishing first in the first semi-final. 

In wrestling, Veronica Ayo lost her 1/8 final women's freestyle 57kg battle against Nigeria's Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye in a 0-2 result. She was then defeated 0-11 by Kenyan Sophia Omutichio Ayieta in a round two repechage contest.

In badminton, Brian Kasirye and Daniel Wanagaliya beat Zambia's Chongo Mulenga and Kalombo Mulenga in the round of 16 men's doubles. Husna Kobugabe lost her round of 16 women's singles match 0-2 against India's Venkata Sindhu Pusarla. 

A Wanagaliya-Kobugabe partnership lost 0-2 to England's Ellis Marcus and Lauren Smith in the round of 16 mixed doubles. Friday Attama and Sharifah Wanyana, too, lost their mixed doubles battle against Scotland's Adam Hall and Julie MacPherson in a 0-2 result.

In the round of 16 women's doubles, Husna Kobugabe and Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi beat Mauritius' Tara Jinee Bodha and Kobita Dookhee 2-0.

In athletics, Peruth Chemutai, albeit tripping on a hurdle that caused her to fall and lose precious time and ground, finished third (9:23.24) in the women's 3,000m steeplechase final to take bronze.

The race won by Kenya's Jackline Chepkoech - alongside whom Olympic champion Chemutai had for long periods raced - in a new Games record of 9:15.68.

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DAY NINE - Saturday, August 6

In wrestling, Jacob Ntuyp lost 0-10 to Sierra Leone's Mohamed Sesay in the 1/8 final of the men's freestyle 74kg contest.

In squash, Paul Kadoma and Michael Raymond Kawooya were defeated 0-2 by Shawn Simpson and Khamal Cumberbatch of Barbados in the men's double plate quarter-final.

In boxing, Teddy Nakimuli had to settle for bronze after losing her light flyweight semi-final bout against Northern Ireland's Carly McNaul in a 0-5 outcome.

In badminton, Brian Kasirye and Daniel Wanagaliya were defeated 0-2 by Malaysia's Teng Fong Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh in the quarter-final of the men's doubles. Husna Kobugabe and Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi lost 0-2 to England's Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith in their women's doubles quarter-final.

In athletics, Halimah Nakaayi was the last to cross the line in the women's 800m final, clocking 2:01.17. Kenya's Mary Moraa won the race in a time of 1:57.07.

Jacob Kiplimo secured his second individual gold at these Games when he won the men's 5,000m final to complete the double - a feat only three other men have accomplished, including his compatriots Joshua Cheptegei (2018) and Moses Kipsiro (2010).

Kiplimo's winning time of 13:08.08 became his season's best, as it was his first 5,000m race of 2022.

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DAY 10 - Sunday, August 7

On the penultimate day of the Games and the last for athletics, one-lap sprinter Haron Adoli applied more improvements to his 400m personal best time at the same Games when he finished 5th in the final in a time of 45.62.

In the women's 1,500m final, Winnie Nanyondo finished 6th, clocking 4:05.68 in a race won by Scotland's Laura Muir (4:02.75).

In the women's 5,000m final, Sarah Chelangat finished in 6th with a season's best time of 15:07.79 while Stella Chesang, who won the 10,000m final in 2018, crossed the line in 9th place, also in her best time of the season (15:19.01).

In cycling, Charles Kagimu finished 67th in a time of 3:38.11 in the men's road race final. This was an impressive performance by the Ugandan - as many as 49 racers started but did not finish the race.