The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
✳ U20 men 🇺🇬 🏃
310 Feb CHELEGOI ❌
311 Hosea CHEMUTAI ✅
313 Allan KIBET ❌
314 Dan KIBET ✅
319 Keneth KIPROP ✅
323 Sailas ROTICH ❌
Bathurst, Australia | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | The Uganda junior men’s team has been cut by half, after three athletes failed to secure visas to travel to Australia for the World Cross country championship due this weekend in Bathurst.
Silas Rotich, Allan Kibet and Feb Chelogoi who were the 2nd, 4th and 5th best of the national junior team, were left behind at Entebbe on Monday night when the rest of the team flew out to join captain Joshua Cheptegei who is alrady in Bathurst. Rotich was the second best runner on the team.
Sources at the Uganda Athletics Federation say visas were denied after the three failed to secure their parent’s IDs in time.
The only consolation for Team Uganda is that the gold and bronze medalists from the Tororo National Cross Country Championships that was the qualifying event, were cleared – Kenneth Kiprop and Dan Kibet.
This however puts Uganda out of the reckoning for a team medal in the Men Junior competition in Bathurst. Uganda will now expect a greater performance from its other teams to overhaul Ethiopa who won most medals at the last World Cross Country Championships in Denmark in 2019.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ethiopia |
5 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 2 |  Kenya |
2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 |  Uganda |
2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 |  Morocco |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 |  Japan |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 entries) | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | |
Uganda, who reaped one individual gold, silver and bronze plus team gold, silver and bronze medals at the last edition in Aarhus in 2019, are expected to defend their titles on February 18 with Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo back in form after a spell with injuries. Kenya’s two-time winner Geoffrey Kamworor is expected to be the single threat to the two Ugandan stars.
The senior men’s battle for gold between Cheptegei and Kamworor will begin verbally on Friday at a pre-event press conference. Cheptegei is the world record holder as well in the 5,000m and 10,000m distances.
For Cheptegei, Bathurst offers an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of stars such as Kamworor, Paul Tergat and Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele in becoming a back-to-back winner of the senior men’s title
At the team’s just concluded month long training camp at Trinity Biblical Institute – Kapchorwa, the 26-year-old World Champion Cheptegei was named captain of Uganda. The team has been training since January 9th under the watchful eye of Coach Benjamin Njia.
.@joshuacheptege1 @GovUganda This incredible week continued with a trip to meet Ugandan World Cross Team yest. Joshua & Jacob were on great form & are ready to go. Great to see you Joshua. You are maturing into an elder statesman for Uganda. Long may it continue! pic.twitter.com/T4VOlLy2yq
— Rob Walker (@robwalkertv) February 10, 2023
Only Cheptegei and Kiplimo survive from the Uganda men’s senior team that competed in 2019. The senior men’s team now includes Uganda Police Forces-UPF Long-distance runner Martin Kiprotich Magengo who won the National cross-country championships held in Tororo in December.
“It’s my first time to be in the national team for the world cross country championships, which is an opportunity for me to explore my career to the next level,” Magengo told Uganda Radio Network in Tororo.
Expecting to improve on her previous 21st best position, is Stella Chesang who won the senior women’s category in Tororo after crossing the finishing line at 33:56.6. She defeated Prisca Chesang who came second in 34:05.9.
Stella Chesang, who recently returned from maternity leave, and Doreen Chesang, are the only survivors from the women’s team of 2019 in Denmark.
SATURDAY TIME TABLE
✳ Mixed Relay 7.30am
✳ U20 Race W 8.10am
✳ U20 Race M 8.50am
✳ Senior Race W 9.30am
✳ Senior Race M 10.30am
🔵 REST OF THE Cross Country teams 🇺🇬 🏃
✳ Men
312 Joshua CHEPTEGEI
315 Isaac KIBET
316 Rogers KIBET
317 Samuel KIBET
318 Jacob KIPLIMO
320 Martin Magengo KIPROTICH
✳ Women
680 Annet Chemengich
681 Mercyline CHELANGAT
683 Rispa CHEROP
685 Doreen CHESANG
686 Prisca CHESANG
687 Stella CHESANG
✳ U20 women
678 Peace CHEBET
679 Felister CHEKWEMOI 7
682 Charity CHEROP
684 Risper CHEROP
688 Bentalin YEKO
✳ Mixed Relay
321 Abu MAYANJA (M)
322 Ronald MUSAGALA (M)
676 Knight ACIRU (W)
677 Linda CHEBET (W)
*****
🔴 Leading Cross Country results from Tororo qualifiers
✳ 10km Senior women
1. Stella Chesang 33:57
2. Prisca Chesang 34:06
3. Annet Chelangat 34:13
✳ 6km U20 women
1. Isella Chebet 20:36
2. Peace Hope Chemutai 20:37
3. Charity Cherop 20:41
✳ 10km Senior men
1. Martin Magengo Kiprotich 29:35
2. Isaac Kibet 29:43
3. Samuel Kibet 29:46
✳ 10km – U20 men
1. Kenneth Kiprop 29:29
2. Silas Rotich 30:27
3. Dan Kibet 30:39
*****
FROM THE ARCHIVES
It was a harsh decision by the Australian embassy to deny the junior athletes visas.