Baby sleeps

Mar 23, 2006

COMMONWEALTH Games gold medalist Dorcus Inzikuru spent most of yesterday sleeping like a baby.<br>

Louis Jadwong in Melbourne,Australia

COMMONWEALTH Games gold medalist Dorcus Inzikuru spent most of yesterday sleeping like a baby.
“She is in her room resting. She deserves it after the hard work she has put into training for her race,” athletics manager Margaret Auma said at the players’ village at 9.30am yesterday.
“She slept late, at 3am because she couldn’t ignore her many visitors. She has just woken up.”
The 24-year-old world champion spent most of yesterday in her room, only leaving it briefly to go for lunch. “She is in her room,” was the consistent reply by Auma to everyone seeking audience with her.
“She is just tired physically and relived after the intensive training in the last few months. She had a bit of shoulder muscle pain, but she got a massage and will be fine,” team doctor Ntege Ssengendo added.
She did not even reach the athletes recreation area which has an internet café to read the hundreds of congratulatory messages that jammed her e-mail.
Inzzi, as she is fondly called, can sleep as much as she wants.
Her victory in the women's 3000m steeplechase final that looked much more closely contested than it actually was, gave her country a first gold medal since sensational boxing teenagers Godfrey Nyakana and Justine Juuko got titles in Auckland in 1990. She won in a comfortable time of 9:19.51, that is over four seconds outside her best time set at the peak of her form last year.
With Inzzi’s gold and boxer Martin Mubiru’s bronze, Uganda is now ranked 19th out of 71 nations participating. Uganda won two silver in Manchester four years ago, and at the games prior to that won a single bronze in Kuala Lumpur.
Uganda’s best performance was in 1970 when three boxers won gold as Uganda bagged seven medals. The biggest haul remains nine in 1974, with two gold.
It is Uganda’s first gold in track and field in the Commonwealth Games. Her feat eluded even the great Akii-Bua and his 400m hurdles successor Peter Rwamuhanda, who bagged silver in Brisbane, Australia in 1982.
Inzzi is now in line to emulate Akii-Bua by winning Olympic gold in Beijing 2008 and possibly break the world record on the way.
Inzikuru returns home on March 29 after officials here changed her departure schedule. She had originally planned to fly back to Italy this weekend.
Wilson Kipkemei Busienei and Boniface Kiprop will be the last Ugandan athletes in action tomorrow when they run the 10000m final.
Coach Absolom Ojwang took them through their paces yesterday behind the closed doors of the athletes’ village where security has been tightened following the disappearance of competitors from Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
The team leaves Melbourne March 28 and arrives at Entebbe on March 29. Team manager Justine Ligyalingi said there is another party being organised by the Ugandan community here on Sunday to celebrate the gold medal.
On Wednesday, shooter Cleopatra Mungoma came last, while there was drama at the table tennis, when the match between the youngest players at the games, did not materialise. The kids ‘went playing with toys’ and forgot their match.
Shing, 12, from Vanuata and Uganda’s Amina Kibone, 13, were traced later by officials. Shing was later seen in tears. Kibone did not shed a tear.
Norman Katende adds that Ugandans waiting to receive Inzikuru back home will have less than three hours to see her, as she will be jetting out to Italy five hours after arrival. She will fly out at 9pm.
“Her work permit in Italy is expiring. She has to renew it by April 1,” explained local federation secretary Beatrice Ayikoru.

Shooting result (women)
50m rifle Prone qualification
Cleopatra Mungoma
27th out of 27 555 points

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