Nambawa bags triple jump bronze
Sep 13, 2011
AFTER an unimpressive show at the World Championships last month, Ugandan triple jumper Sarah Nambawa had reason to smile yesterday.
By James Bakama and Norman Katende in Maputo, Mozambique
AFTER an unimpressive show at the World Championships last month, Ugandan triple jumper Sarah Nambawa had reason to smile yesterday.
Nambawa wound up the All Africa Games with a bronze medal after leaping 13.73 meters in Maputo’s Zimpeto National stadium.
The US based athlete finished behind Algeria’s Baya Rahouli (14.02) and Senegal’s Kene Ndoye (13.74) to hand Uganda her first athletics medal at the tenth edition of the quadrennial games.
Nambawa’s medal winning jump was in her second attempt in a tense final that was undermined by poor officiation. Nigeria’s Iworima Otonye jumped 13.47m that was instead registered as a 14.47.
Many athletes would have embraced the mark. But not Otonye who instead complained to the officials that she hadn’t jumped that far. The result was eventually cancelled amidst more complaints from the Algerian camp.
Nambawa who is two weeks from her 27th birthday felt that she could have done better. “I could have definitely jumped further but I had a muscle problem.â€
Her jump was however far away from her 14.06 personal best. The effort was nevertheless far better than her 13.22 mark at the just concluded World Championships in Korea. She had earlier also failed to make her presence felt at the World University Games by failing to travel to China.
Nambawa took to jumping about three years ago.
She becomes the second Ugandan to win a medal in Maputo after boxer Ronald Serugo set the pace with a bronze last week.
Yesterday’s competition also had teenager Jacob Araptany finishing a distant fourth in the men’s steeplechase final.
Meanwhile, the Ugandan camp was on Sunday also boosted by the arrival of Moses Kipsiro. He was to run in the 10000m final.
Duncan Mugabe, meanwhile, needed 45 minutes to down Rwanda’s Anatole Bizimana on day-two of the games tennis event.
Robert Buyinza had on Sunday evening also won his game against Ghana’s Pascal Ziab 2-6, 7-6(2), 10-8 to advance to round four.
Mugabe survived a walk over due to the complicated transport system to dominate with a 6-1, 6-0 result. He will be meeting the winner between Angola’s Dodamy Santos and Algeria’s Sid Ali Akir, who were due to play in the afternoon.
However in table tennis, Uganda’s players still have a lot of work to do if they are to compete on the big stage.
East Africa’s top seed Ronald Nyaika found out yesterday in the two-week competition that also doubled as an Olympic qualifier.
Nyaika was like Uganda’s top women’s player Amina Lukaya beaten in the third round of the quadrennial meet. He was easy prey for Nigeria’s Seun Ajetunmobi who won 4-0.
“I must say we still have a long way to go,†conceded Nyaika after defeats to all his other team-mates.
AFTER an unimpressive show at the World Championships last month, Ugandan triple jumper Sarah Nambawa had reason to smile yesterday.
Nambawa wound up the All Africa Games with a bronze medal after leaping 13.73 meters in Maputo’s Zimpeto National stadium.
The US based athlete finished behind Algeria’s Baya Rahouli (14.02) and Senegal’s Kene Ndoye (13.74) to hand Uganda her first athletics medal at the tenth edition of the quadrennial games.
Nambawa’s medal winning jump was in her second attempt in a tense final that was undermined by poor officiation. Nigeria’s Iworima Otonye jumped 13.47m that was instead registered as a 14.47.
Many athletes would have embraced the mark. But not Otonye who instead complained to the officials that she hadn’t jumped that far. The result was eventually cancelled amidst more complaints from the Algerian camp.
Nambawa who is two weeks from her 27th birthday felt that she could have done better. “I could have definitely jumped further but I had a muscle problem.â€
Her jump was however far away from her 14.06 personal best. The effort was nevertheless far better than her 13.22 mark at the just concluded World Championships in Korea. She had earlier also failed to make her presence felt at the World University Games by failing to travel to China.
Nambawa took to jumping about three years ago.
She becomes the second Ugandan to win a medal in Maputo after boxer Ronald Serugo set the pace with a bronze last week.
Yesterday’s competition also had teenager Jacob Araptany finishing a distant fourth in the men’s steeplechase final.
Meanwhile, the Ugandan camp was on Sunday also boosted by the arrival of Moses Kipsiro. He was to run in the 10000m final.
Duncan Mugabe, meanwhile, needed 45 minutes to down Rwanda’s Anatole Bizimana on day-two of the games tennis event.
Robert Buyinza had on Sunday evening also won his game against Ghana’s Pascal Ziab 2-6, 7-6(2), 10-8 to advance to round four.
Mugabe survived a walk over due to the complicated transport system to dominate with a 6-1, 6-0 result. He will be meeting the winner between Angola’s Dodamy Santos and Algeria’s Sid Ali Akir, who were due to play in the afternoon.
However in table tennis, Uganda’s players still have a lot of work to do if they are to compete on the big stage.
East Africa’s top seed Ronald Nyaika found out yesterday in the two-week competition that also doubled as an Olympic qualifier.
Nyaika was like Uganda’s top women’s player Amina Lukaya beaten in the third round of the quadrennial meet. He was easy prey for Nigeria’s Seun Ajetunmobi who won 4-0.
“I must say we still have a long way to go,†conceded Nyaika after defeats to all his other team-mates.