1st round KO

Ugandan team captain Mohammed Kayongo registered the fastest knock-out of the day, ousting Samoa's Vaiavea Tausanga in the first round of their lightweight fight yesterday, reports Kabuleta from Manchester.Earlier in the day, Martin Mubiru had knocked out Shimoni Bain of the Bahamas in a fight that epitomised amateur boxing at its very best.Bain thought he had the fight wrapped up when he landed a heavy punch on Mubiru and forced a count midway through the first round. But in a typical show of resilience, the Ugandan raised his game and punched the man from Bahamas into total submission.But the performance of the day belonged to Kayongo. The Ugandan captain pounded his Samoan opponent from the start — it could hardly be described as a contest. By the time the referee decided to call an end to the fight, even the Samoan officials were imploring him to do so.Midway through round one, Kayongo forced a count, then with 30 seconds of the round left, the Samoan was lying flat on the canvass. With 14 seconds left, the Indian referee waived his hands frantically to signal the end.Kayongo was so dominant he even had to sign a few autographs on his way out of the arena. When asked if he expected to win a medal, the Ugandan said: “Why else would I be here. I came to the games to win a medal.”Coach Dick Katende said Kayongo was stressed by the weight of being team captain. “But now that he has won his opening bout you will see the best of Kayongo.”He will have to be at his best to overcome the challenge of Australia's Jarrod Fletcher tomorrow. Fletcher looked impressive in his points win over Dintwa Sloca of Botswana. Today, Dennis Mwanje, who also registered a knock-out in his first round fight, will take on Thandi Ntjona of Lesotho in a featherweight fight at 8.30pm.By press time last night, Pascal Owor (800m semifinals), and Dorcus Inzikuru (5,000m final), were due to run.At stake for Inzikuru was a medal, while Owor had a place in tonight’s final to fight for.