Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek broke the hearts of many Kenyans when she won the 10,000m women’s race during the Kenya Athletics Championships in Nairobi on Tuesday. Cheptoyek emerged victorious with a time of 32:31.8 minutes.

Cheptoyek is one of many Ugandan athletes striving to meet the qualification standards for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The decision to participate in the Kenyan National Athletics trials stems from the lack of a qualifying standard track in Uganda, as the only available track in the country, Namboole National Stadium, is currently under renovation.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are set to take place from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France, while African senior Athletics championships are set to take place in Yaoundé Cameroon.

So far, Uganda has qualified 22 athletes. The qualification period for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games ends on June 31, with Africa’s last qualification events being the Africa Senior Athletics Championships scheduled for June 18-23 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Uganda won four medals: two golds by Joshua Cheptegei in the 5000 meters and Peruth Chemutai in the 3000 meters steeplechase, a silver by Joshua Cheptegei in the 10,000 meters, and a bronze by Jacob Kiplimo in the 10,000 meters.