Loput Kizito leads Uganda's athletics squad to inaugural ANOCA School Games in Algeria

Uganda’s junior bronze medalist, Loput Kizito, is among the 12 athletes selected to represent Uganda in athletics at the inaugural ANOCA (Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa) School Games set to take place in Algeria later this month.

Kizito, who won bronze in the 1500m at the ISF U15 Gymnasiade held in Zlatibor, Serbia earlier this year with a time of 4:30.73, earned Uganda’s only medal at the competition in his international debut. The Primary Six pupil from rural Nakapiripirit District is preparing for his second appearance on the international stage.

He joins a strong lineup of 11 other athletes selected by Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF), as part of Uganda’s wider contingent competing in eight other sports disciplines at the Games.

Other middle-distance runners include 15-year-old Shafik Murungi, Josephine Desire, and Baskline Cherotwo, who impressed during the recent Namboole trials held at the Akii Bua Memorial Meet. The trio will feature in the 800m events.

Sprinter Rashad Atuyambe, who missed the ISF Gymnasiade due to passport delays, returns to the national fold and will compete in the 400m. He will be joined by Sunday Pascal and Muhwezi Abraham Lincoln, both 15, who will take on the 100m and 200m races. Risper Chekwemboi and Fausia Cheptoris are set to run in the 3000m event.

To guide the young team, UAF has appointed national junior 400m record holder Justin Bayiga and Kosgei Issa as coaches for the sprint and middle-distance events, respectively.

Bayiga, who set a national junior record of 52.76 seconds at the 1997 World Junior Championships in France, challenged the sprinters to aim for her long-standing record.

“They are promising sprinters, and with more time and rigorous training, I believe my record is within reach,” she said. “But they must work on their finishing — it’s what makes or breaks a sprinter.”

Uganda has assembled a team of over 100 athletes to compete in nine disciplines at the 11-day continental event, which will bring together more than 3,000 athletes from across Africa.