Uganda qualifies 17 athletes for 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
The team, which consists of seven female and 10 male athletes, is slightly smaller compared to the contingent that represented the country at the previous edition of the championships.
Jacob Kiplimo (right) and his brother Oscar Chelimo are some of the athletes who qualified. PHOTO: Olivia Nakate
By Olivia Nakate
Journalists @New Vision
Qualification for the 2025 World Athletics Championships closed on Sunday, August 24, worldwide, with Uganda securing 17 athletes who have attained the qualification standards.
The team, which consists of seven female and 10 male athletes, is slightly smaller compared to the contingent that represented the country at the previous edition of the championships.
In 2023, at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, Uganda fielded 21 athletes and walked away with two gold medals, courtesy of Joshua Cheptegei in the 10,000m and Victor Kiplangat in the marathon.
Uganda Athletics (UA) General Secretary Beatrice Ayikoru expressed optimism that the number of qualified athletes could still increase through the world ranking system.
“We still have qualification by ranking. We have more athletes close to qualification and I hope they will make it through the ranking pathway,” Ayikoru said.
The qualification by ranking system allows athletes who have not met the automatic entry standards to qualify based on their global performance standings, giving Uganda hope of bolstering its final squad.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will be staged in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 to 21, marking a return to the city that successfully hosted the 2020 Olympic Games.
Uganda aims not only to defend its medal legacy but also to expand it, Tokyo presents more than just a stage for competition; it is an opportunity for the nation to reaffirm its status among the world’s athletics powerhouses.
For Ugandan athletes, Tokyo is not unfamiliar territory; it was here, during the 2020 Olympic Games, that the team delivered one of its finest performances, winning four medals one gold, one silver, and one bronze. Building on that historic success, the 2025 World Championships offer a fresh chance to match or even surpass those achievements.
Women
1 Halima Nakaayi 800m
2 Peruth chemutai 3000mSC
3 Joy Cheptoyek 5000m
4 Sarah Chelangat 5000m
5 Stella Chesang- Marathon
6 Juliet Chekwel – Marathon
7 Mercyline Chelangat- Marathon
Men
8 Oscar Chelimo 5000m
9 Keneth Kiprop 5000m
10 Harbert Kibet 5000m
11 Joshua Cheptegei 10,000m and Marathon
12 Jacob Kiplimo 10,000m and Marathon
13 Victor Kiplangat- Marathon
14 Stephen Kissa- Marathon
15 Solomon Mutai - Marathon
16 Andrew Rotich Kwemoi- Marathon
17 Victor Kwemboi- Marathon