Uganda clinches bronze at CAVB Zone V Beach Volleyball Championship
The duo began the tournament on a high note, defeating Kenya 2–0 (21–13, 22–20) in their opening match.
Courtesy photo
CAVB Zone V Beach Championship
Saturday 25th
Semi finals (Women)
Burundi 2 Uganda 1
Third play offs ( Women)
Uganda 2 Tanzania 1
Uganda’s women’s beach volleyball team, featuring Nancy Chebet and Peace Busingye, made the nation proud by securing a bronze medal at the CAVB Zone V Beach Volleyball Championship held in Bujumbura, Burundi, from Wednesday, October 22 to Saturday, October 25.
The duo began the tournament on a high note, defeating Kenya 2–0 (21–13, 22–20) in their opening match.
However, they narrowly missed out on a spot in the final after a hard-fought 1–2 loss to Burundi’s Emelyne Igiraneza and Nadia Buntubwimana (16–21, 21–19, 12–15) in the semifinals.
In the bronze medal match, Chebet and Busingye displayed remarkable resilience, rallying from a set down to overcome Tanzania’s Evalyne Albert and Mariam Omary 2–1 (16–21, 21–15, 21–01). The victory earned Uganda its first medal at this year’s championship.
Head coach Edward Bwenje, who also heads the Uganda Beach Volleyball Commission, expressed his pride in the team’s performance.
“I’m grateful for the bronze medal. I’m so happy for the ladies. We lost a decisive semifinal, but they calmed down and fought back to win third place,” Bwenje said.
He also emphasized the need for more extensive preparation ahead of future competitions.
“This championship has shown us that Team Uganda needs more training time. The hosts trained for a month and a half, while we had only two weeks. That lack of fitness affected our performance,” he explained.
In the men’s category, Uganda’s pair of Innocent Ayo and Isaac Ogusul had a mixed campaign. They lost their opening match to Burundi 0–2 (17–21, 15–21), but bounced back with a 2–1 win over Tanzania (14–21, 21–17, 15–09) and a convincing 2–0 victory against Kenya (21–08, 21–14). Their run ended in the quarterfinals with another loss to Burundi (17–21, 15–21).
The championship featured teams from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, and hosts Burundi. Uganda was represented by two pairs—Chebet and Busingye in the women’s category, and Ayo and Ogusul in the men’s—under the guidance of Coach Bwenje and referee Phoebe Tucungwire.
This marked Uganda’s third appearance at the Zone V Beach Volleyball Championship.