Sixteen join Cheptegei, Nanyondo, Orogot in Eugene auto–qualifications

The Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) has announced a list of athletes who have already qualified for the looming world athletics championships.

The released line–up features various defending champions, entry athletes, and highly ranked athletes in their respective fields.

Marathoners, middle-distance, and sprinters constitute the probable squad seen by New Vision Sports.

Firstly, Police’s Joshua Cheptegei, the world reigning 10,000m and 5,000m champion headlines the probable Team Uganda squad.

Assistant Superintendent of Police is joined by his talented juniors including; Inspectors of Police, Peruth Chemutai the 3000Sc Olympic champion, Mercyline Chelangat, the national cross-country, and half-marathon champion.

Tarsis Orogot. File photo

The other Police officers who managed to gain automatic qualification are Immaculate Chemutai, Victor Kiplangat, Martin Masau, and teenager, Prisca Chesang.

UWA Athletics Club has its in-form vice-captain Halimah Nakaayi by being the world's reigning 800m fastest woman.

Nakaayi is joined by club-mates; Jacob Kiplimo, Olympic bronze medallist and world half-marathon record holder, and their overall captain Capt. Ronald Musagala.

Other Wildlife rangers in the mix are Winnie Nanyondo and Geoffrey Kusuro.

Prisons captain Stephen Kiprotich, 2013 World marathon Champion will share the flight with club-mates, Felix Chemonges Malewa, the national record marathon holder.

Renowned pace-setter Stephen Kissa is through as well.

Winnie Nanyondo

Fred Musobo, Solomon Mutai, and Tarsis Orogot have all qualified not only for World Championships but also the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham City, UK a week after the former.

The championships will take place on July 15 – 24 at Eugene City of Oregon State in the United States of America.  

The same auto-qualifying positions also give the select elite squad with a license to represent Uganda at the Africa Seniors Games which will take place in June in Ivory Coast and Mauritius.

The juniors on the list such as Tarsis Orogot and Prisca Chesang will also proceed for the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia on August 1 -6.

Meanwhile, athletes who qualified by position including Orogot and P. Chesang will need to keep competing to improve their world rankings.

Otherwise, the rankings keep changing within the qualification period given several rated competitions going on across the globe.

The good news is that most of these auto-qualified runners are capable of winning several championships on the spin, mercifully, factors constant.  

They will now wait for the non-automatics who are trying their luck in the ongoing national trials conducted by Uganda Athletics Federation.