Cheptegei wants to rule Africa

By Norman Katende

Africa Junior Championships

Schedule of competition (Uganda)

Thursday

Women 100m,  800m, 3000m

Friday

Men: 10000m

Saturday

Women:  5000m, 400m

Men :800m

Sunday

Men: 5000m

Uganda  believes that their team of six athletes will be able to leave a mark at the Africa Junior championships  that are due to start Thursday  in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

Uganda has entered a team of six, two of them male in the biennial event as they seek to boost their performance  and improve on the four medal haul in the last edition held in Mauritius in 2013. Uganda won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

Uganda will be led  by world Junior 10000m champion Joshua Cheptegei, who  will be seeking to  transfer his dominance in the World junior to  the continent.

Cheptegei, who is also the world University cross country champion is  looking out to prove a point  as he joins  Geoffrey Balimumiti as the two male Ugandans at the biennial event.

Despite the high altitude scare, Cheptegei – who won the national cross country championships –sounded confident that he will leave a mark, as he uses the event to spur him to better things.

"I would like to perform better and be awarded the best athlete,"  he said.

Balimumiti, Uganda's most promising athlete and a silver medallist at the World youth Olympics is also on the team that  has Stella Chesang.

Chesang, a gold medallist at the World Mountain running championships and the current  national cross country champion  will be the only long distance  runner.

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