Athletes go for solace in Masindi

May 15, 2008

AFTER failing to win silverware at the Africa Athletics Championships that concluded in Addis Ababa a fortnight ago, some of Uganda’s top performing athletes at the event head to Masindi for the second national track and field trial.

By Norman Katende

AFTER failing to win silverware at the Africa Athletics Championships that concluded in Addis Ababa a fortnight ago, some of Uganda’s top performing athletes at the event head to Masindi for the second national track and field trial.

The event, sponsored by telecommunication company MTN, has been organised by the local athletics federation to mark the World Athletics Day.

Javelin throwers Patrick Kibwota and Annet Kabasindi, who finished fourth and fifth in Addis respectively, will be among the few top guns to spice up the event. Competition is mainly anticipated in the junior and youth categories.

The event, however, cannot be used to qualify athletes for the Olympics.
The seniors will compete in the 100m, 400m, 1500m, 5000m, discus, javelin and long jump.

The junior athletes, who will, on top of trying to hit the qualifying mark for the World Junior championships due in July in Poland, will be fighting for a fully paid trip to Monaco courtesy of the international athletics governing body — IAAF.

According to a release from the IAAF, winners of selected youth and junior events all over the world will go into a draw, where the lucky 18 will be invited to Monaco for the three-day July 29 Herculis Meeting.

“They will also be able to win themselves selected gifts like T-shirts, posters and pins,” read part of the release from the IAAF media centre.

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