Akullo wins gold for Uganda at African Games
Sep 17, 2015
A special gold, delivered by a special athlete just when it seemed the best for Team Uganda at the 2015 All Africa Games had passed.
By Charles Mutebi
All Africa Games
Results
Ronald Nyaika 4 – 1 Peter Theuri
Friday: Nyaika v Toriola Segun
Bronze, bronze, silver and… yes!
Gold.
A special gold, delivered by a special athlete just when it seemed the best for Team Uganda at the 2015 All Africa Games had passed.
It was delivered in 13.34 seconds as Christine Akullo blitzed to first place in the final of the women's T13 100m. The shortsighted Akullo run a rousing race here at the Kintele National Stadium in Brazzaville, rallying from a poor start to finish with a comfortable lead.
The affable sprinter was caught out by a lukewarm coming-out-of-the-blocks but once she found her rhythm near the halfway mark, her long strides and straight gait carried her to glory, to the delight of the tiny Ugandan delegate inside the stadium.
Akullo subsequently draped herself in the Ugandan flag for the victory lap, a sight that seemed to have bypassed Team Uganda at this special edition of the African Games. With the Games set to end on Saturday, T12 400m silver medalist is the only Ugandan with realistic medal hopes still in competition.
In other words, Akullo is likely to go into history as the athlete who won Uganda's sole gold medal at the 50th anniversary of the All Africa Games. Hopefully, that will capture the imagination of Ugandans.
Meanwhile, Uganda's Ronald Nyaika has conceded that Nigeria's Toriola Segun will be the "heavy favourite" when the two meet in the third round of the men's table tennis singles today the Revolution Arena.
Nyaika, who beat Kenya's Peter Theuri in his first singles match yesterday (4-1), however, promised to do "the best I can" against Segun, the 2007 All Africa Games gold medalist.
"At least I have maintained the standard of reaching the third round," Nyaika added.
At least I have maintained the standards I have… I reached the third round even at the last edition.
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