Uganda shows promise despite tough outing at World Relays

Medal table

1 Jamaica: 3 (2Gold and Silver)

2 USA:   3(two Gold and Bronze)

3 Botswana: 1 (Gold)

Jamaica topped the medal table with three medals, including two gold and one silver, underlining their continued dominance in sprint relays.

The United States followed closely, also collecting three medals two gold and one bronze while hosts Botswana secured a memorable third-place finish with a single but significant gold medal.

For Uganda, the two day (2-3 May) championships offered more of a learning curve than a podium finish. Competing in only their second appearance at the World Relays following their debut at the World Athletics Relays 2025. They recorded a season-best time of 3:15.45 in Heat 2 of the men’s 4x400m repechage round, finishing fifth out of seven teams. While the result did not secure qualification, it marked progress and highlighted areas for growth.

Haron Adoli passing on a baton to Shida Leni

Uganda Athletics (UA) General Secretary Beatrice Ayikoru emphasized that participation itself is a crucial milestone for the country’s sprint program. She noted that while Uganda is not yet fielding athletes who consistently qualify individually for global championships, relays provide an important platform for development.

“A competitive team is one with athletes who qualify for individual events, and we are still building towards that,” Ayikoru explained. “Relays give our sprinters exposure at the world stage. Even if the results are not immediate, they gain experience, confidence, and motivation to improve individually.”

While Uganda focused on growth, Botswana delivered a defining moment for the host nation and the African continent. The men’s 4x400m team stormed to victory in a time of 2:54.47, securing Africa’s only gold medal at the championships. Their triumph not only electrified the home crowd but also symbolized the continent’s potential on the global stage.

South Africa added to Africa’s medal tally with two silver medals, bringing the continent’s total to three, a commendable showing in a highly competitive field.

Beyond the track, Botswana infused the event with cultural significance. In celebration of 60 years of independence, the medals awarded to athletes were embedded with natural diamonds sourced locally, symbolizing resilience, pride, and national heritage. The uniqueness of the medals was not lost on athletes, including USA’s Jada Mowat, who expressed both excitement and caution.

“This is my first medal and it is a nice one,” she said. “I am going to keep it in a box so that nobody can steal it.”

The stakes were equally high financially, with a total prize pool of USD 400,000 shared among the top eight teams in each event. Winners walked away with USD 40,000, while second, third, and fourth-place finishers earned USD 20,000, USD 10,000, and USD 8,000 respectively.

The competition also served as a qualifier for future global events. A total of 48 teams booked their spots at the World Athletics Championships 2027, while 12 teams secured qualification for the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

History made

It will go down in the history books that Botswana hosted the first world senior athletics track event on the continent. This eighth edition attracted 723 athletes from 40 nations.