First Lady congratulates Jacob Kiplimo

The First Lady and minister of education and sports, Janet Museveni, has congratulated Jacob Kiplimo, Uganda's long-distance runner, for winning both the 5000m race in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and the 3000m Rome Diamond League race.

"I salute you for your outstanding performance, for flying Uganda's flag high on the world map and for bringing honour, pride, and joy to your country," Janet Museveni said.

Jacob Kiplimo, who competed at the 59th Golden Spike Wanda Diamond League on September 8, 2020, in Ostrava, Czech Republic won the 5000m race with a personal best of 12:48.63 and also run the fastest time setting a new national record of 7:26.64 in the 3000m and winning the Rome Diamond League race on September 17, 2020.

She commended Kiplimo for putting in a lot of time and hard work and also thanked God for all the success of Uganda's sportsmen and women, which she said has earned the country global recognition. She prayed for protection and more achievements in other scheduled games.

Kiplimo will, together with Joshua Cheptegei, start preparing for another race scheduled for October 17, in Gdynia, Poland.

Kiplimo is the youngest ever competitor for Uganda at the Olympic Games. At the age of 15, he ran in the Olympic heats of 5000m.

He first caught the nation's attention when at the age of 16 he produced a stunning performance by winning gold in the men's U20 race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala.