Kazibwe continues to shine in Germany state athletics championships

William Kazibwe, a decathlon athlete from Uganda, has continued his impressive rise in athletics with a standout performance at the 2025 BW Mehrkampf (multi-discipline) U20/U18 State Championship held in Ulm, Germany, last month.

Kazibwe, 17, is the son of reigning Mr. Olympia and five-time Mr. Uganda, bodybuilder Ivan Byekwaso.

He relocated to Germany in 2023 to join his father and has quickly made a name for himself in the German sports scene by excelling in various decathlon events.

William Kazibwe in action during the 400m race of the 2025 BW Mehrkampf (multi-discipline) U20/U18 State Championship in Ulm, Germany. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

In these competitions, points are awarded based on the time and distance achieved in each event, which are then totaled to determine the overall winner.

William began his athletics journey about a year and a half ago, initially competing in the U-18 category, where he set a personal best in the 200 meters. He later advanced to the U-20 category, where he achieved another personal best of 11.24 seconds in the 100 meters and 14.56 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles. These performances earned him second place at the state championship and qualified him for the German nationals.

William Kazibwe (2nd right) poses with his teammates Grave Julius (left) Felix Schmidt (2nd left), and Hendrink Papica after the 2025 BW Mehrkampf (multi-discipline) U20/U18 State Championship in Ulm, Germany. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

However, he was unable to compete because he is not a German national. He also met the qualification standards for the DM nationals but is similarly ineligible to participate.

“By the time I joined, I was just a learner, but I have been able to catch up and excel. I’m always top in these state championships,” Kazibwe said.

“I would now like to compete in big events like the DM Masters or any other international junior events for my country. I have improved my PBs in all the events and have been able to make a name for myself in the one and a half years.

They always look for me at every event because they know that when I'm present, they have no chance of winning first place. My dream is to compete in the Olympics in the future. My event is unique and more complicated, but I can also compete in the individual events,” Kazibwe noted.

Kazibwe, who, already has a profile on World Athletics, is targeting to accumulate approximately 7080 points to qualify for the European Championships. He achieved 6110 points at the state championship, which is within the national decathlon qualification for the German national team.

Veit Rauscher (left) the head coach at the SSV Ulm 1846 Club shares a moment with Ivan Byekwaso at the Ulm Stadium. Photo by Michael Nsubuga

At the Ulm U-20 event held on July 25-26, Kazibwe, representing the SSV Ulm 1846 Athletics Club, amassed a total of 11,670 points over the two days, earning double gold. He excelled on the first day, scoring 3,664 points from the 100m and 400m races, long jump, shot put, and high jump. On the second day, he accumulated an impressive 8,006 points in the 100m hurdles, javelin, pole vault, and 1500m race. In the 100m sprint, Kazibwe finished second with a time of 11.32 seconds, just 0.31 seconds behind LAC Essingen’s Benjamin Beyerle, who claimed first place. LG Neckar-Enz’s Noller Gero took third with a time of 11.38 seconds. Kazibwe also secured second place in the 400m Male Youth U20 Decathlon, completing the race in a season-best time of 50.97 seconds. 

His teammate, Schmidt Felix, won with a time of 50.17 seconds. Kazibwe showcased his talent in the long jump, achieving a distance of 6.74 meters, which placed him ahead of Gero, who jumped 6.63 meters. In the high jump, Kazibwe finished third, clearing a height of 1.80 meters, while SV Halle’s Heilmann Henry Lennox and LAC Essingen’s Beyerle Benjamin cleared 1.88 meters.

On the second day, Kazibwe registered a personal best of 13.55 meters in the shot put, finishing second behind Beyerle, who threw 13.86 meters. He also completed the 110m hurdles in 15.07 seconds, finishing ahead of Gero (15.36 seconds) and LV Pliezhausen’s Roelofsen Mats (15.88 seconds). Kazibwe recorded a personal best of 40.04 meters and 37.74 m in the javelin and discus throws and concluded the event with a time of 4:59.38 in the 1500 m race.

Veit Rauscher, the head coach at the SSV Ulm 1846 Club, says Kazibwe has a bright future in athletics if he keeps on training, stays healthy, and learns about the technique, tactics, and daily life of an athlete at all stages.

“First of all, he is a good worker; he works for his success and is developing very well in many events of the decathlon, and he has a lot of time to continue getting better and better. He is 17, and he has a lot of time to learn,” Rauscher said.

“He has some problems with his high jump technique, but there is room for improvement; his 400m race was quite good. He can jump much longer if he hits the board well; the shot put was good, and I think he can go a lot forward to the top,” Rauscher noted.

“Next year we are planning to enter him in the U-20 World Junior Championships, and I’m convinced that he can do it, and I think he can qualify for the event.”

He also spoke about the importance of having athletes in school, saying, “It’s good for athletes to have something outside sports, which is good for their brain and keeps them in a good structure in their daily lives,” Rauscher stated.

Byekwaso wanted his son to develop his sporting skills as a footballer, but upon advice from professional coaches, he changed careers to athletics, in which he is currently shining with his club, Club SSV Ulm 1846, as one of the best and also in the state championship.