Otucet applauds Akampa on his promising breakthrough

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Promising long-distance runner, Seth Akampa, has continued to attract the attention of various personalities and athletics stakeholders following his recent breakthrough in his category.

The Bishop Stuart University (BSU) Mbarara law finalist was among the hundreds that competed at this month's East African Community University Games in Kisumu, Kenya, where he won both the 5000m and 10,000m gold—a feat matched by only a few athletes at this stage.

The double gold in Kisumu adds to the World University Cross Country gold he won in Muscat, Oman, in February 2024, and the 10,000m gold he secured at the National University Games in December 2023, marking him as the fastest promising runner of his generation.

From these heroics, Akampa has drawn the attention of athletics enthusiasts, including Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) president Domenic Otucet, who accompanied his applause with words of encouragement for the young man.

“For me, I am excited because not only is he a good athlete but is also a student, and the way forward for him, he is already talented. He needs to train more, and as we enter January, we are having non-residential training camps around the country, and for him, we shall get him in the Kabale camp,” Otucet said.

The pleased Otucet also offered Akampa guidance on how to make a breakthrough to the elite category of athletes in the country.

“The qualification time for 10,000m is raised to 27.00 minutes, he is running 30, and it may not be easy for him now, but if he is consistent, by the time we go for the next world championships or Olympics, he can be one of the contenders. He has to remain focused and consistent, and he has to exercise patience, and he will be there. Already he has achieved, because winning that cross country in the World Universities and also on track in the East Africa Games shows how good he is,” Otucet said.

The 24-year-old, who hails from Rukiga district that was carved out of Kabale, has become the first athlete to record back-to-back victories in long-distance running in the entire Western Uganda. According to UAF publicist, Abdallah Muhammad, Akampa now holds the flag for athletic talent in the region.

Akampa pauses with his two gold medals and a trophy that BSU men's team won for finishing 3rd overall in athletics. (Courtesy)

“He is very promising, and the fact that he comes from a region where athletics went down low since the early 90s, he now becomes our (UAF) ambassador in igniting the sport and helping to encourage more other talents to come out. He and Orishaba (Marvelous) hold the lead candle,” Muhammad said.

Akampa is targeting a top position at the UAF National Cross-Country Championship in Tororo in January 2025 so he can make it to the national team for the World Athletics Cross-Country Run. He is also preparing for the World University Games due in May 2025 in Germany.