DOHA

Athletes have more than just medals to compete for at the Doha World Athletics Championships.

Gold will fetch $60,000(sh219m) while silver medalists will earn $30,000(sh105m) and bronze $20,000 (sh73m).

The cash stretches to the eighth finisher courtesy of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

A strong team of 21 Ugandans is part of hundreds of athletes eyeing a share of over US$7.5 million in prize money in the 10-day competition.

There will be even more in reward for excellence. There will be a $100,000 special award for world records.

Portugal’s Ines Henriques, who set a world record of 4:05:56 in the women’s 50km race walk at the World Championships in London two years ago, and USA’s Ashton Eaton, who broke the decathlon world record in Beijing in 2015 and will be one of the IAAF’s Ambassadors in Doha, are two of the most recent recipients of a world record award.

 

Uganda is fielding what many describe as its strongest team ever at this biennial event.

Joshua Cheptegei who won $30,000 for his 10,000-meter silver at the last edition is Uganda’s gold medal favourite this time.

Cheptegei is together with another Ugandan medal hopeful  Jacob Kiplimo in the 10,000m.

Ronald Musagala (1500m) and Stella Chesang (10,000m) and Solomon Mutai (marathon) are Uganda’s other medal hopes.

Davis Kamoga (1997), Dorcus Inzikuru (2005) and Solomon Mutai (2015) are the other Ugandans who have won these prizes.

Kamoga won 400m silver in Athens while Inzikuru won gold at the Helsinki championship.

Should Cheptegei take gold in Doha he will be crowning a very successful season also winning $50,000 (sh182.5m) for winning the 5000m in the Diamond League.

The only other Ugandan sportsmen who have won much for barely an hour’s work are boxers John “The Beast” Mugabi and Kassim “The Dream” Ouma.

Mugabi signed off a $1m (sh3.7bn)- the equivalent of about sh5bn today, for his 1986 world title fight with Marvin Hagler.

Mugabi put up a tough challenge but was eventually knocked out in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

Ouma also earned about $1m for his 12 round contest in a 2006 title fight with Jermain Taylor in the Alltell Arena, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Footballers like Ibrahim Sekagya (Red Bull Salzburg) and Dennis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Magid Musisi (Bursaspor) also earned big in club transfers.

US born Ugandan American Mathias Kiwanuka was at the peak of his talent also a huge earner in the American football league.

The New York Giants player was earning $1,776,000 (sh6.4bn) in 2011. In 2006 he signed a five-year $10m (sh37bn) contract.

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