Kipsiro back on the track again for 5000m

By James Bakama

WEDNESDAY 12:45pm
Men’s 5000m heats

Saturday 9:30pm
Men’s 5000m final

Tomorrow the London Olympics will provide Moses Kipsiro with a second chance to go for the only medal missing in his long list of accolades.

Uganda’s most successful long distance runner has won medals at all the top athletics levels except the Olympics.

“I feel incomplete without this medal,” said Kipsiro last year as he began preparations for these games.

Kipsiro was on Saturday confident his dream was finally crystallising when he was tripped at 7:36.00 minutes into the 10,000 metre final. By the time he recovered, the front pack was well ahead. He finished tenth.

Every Ugandan will be praying a similar mishap does not re-occur especially after another member of the same team - Benjamin Kiplagat suffered a similar misfortune on Friday.

It could however be harder to trip Kipsiro this time as he will not be Uganda’s lone soldier as was the case over the weekend. However crowded the front pack gets, he can this time rely on the protection of team-mates Geoffrey Kusuro and Abraham Kiplimo.

The men’s 5000m is the only event where Uganda managed to fill its quota of three runners.

This comes with advantages of teamwork that can not only have Uganda determining the pace, but also influencing the point at which the final sprint should be.

While Kiplimo is one of Team Uganda’s juniors, Kusuro on his part brings a wealth of experience. He was at the Beijing Olympics where Kipsiro eventually finished fourth.

A medal from this race will come as a big relief for a country that has had the bulk of its competitors failing to make it from the preliminaries in London.

Uganda continued with its dismal performance yesterday with Julius Mutekanga and Janet Achola also failing to advance. Mutekanga clocked 1:48.41 in the men’s 800m to finish fifth in his heat.

The first three finishers in each of the seven heats advanced to the semi-finals together with competitors with the next three fastest times.

Achola was 12th in her heat with a time of 4:11.64.

Uganda last won an Olympic medal in 1996 when quarter miler Davis Kamoga got bronze.

Kamoga and John Akii-Bua, who won gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1972 games, are the only athletes to have won Olympic medals for Uganda since its maiden participation at the games in 1956.

Uganda’s other medals at these games have been from boxers Leo Rwabwogo(silver and bronze), Eridad Mukwanga (silver) and John Mugabi (silver).