You would have forgiven some athletes at the CSN October outing for pretending they were in the Olympics.
In the end, they contributed to the spectacle that unfolded at the Jephi University athletics track on Sunday, October 26.
In the morning, everyone was buzzing. Some sprinters stretched like pros, perhaps to scare the opponents. When it came to business on the track, you told the runners you meant business, posting impressive times.
Most runners engaged in a personal struggle against both the clock and the competition. The runners sprinted at full throttle, their faces grimacing with effort. The gap between them was mere inches. There were photo finishes in some of the races.
For all their efforts, the eventual winners, Hotel Africana, had the most balanced team. They won with a total of 52 points. They were followed by Dfcu Bank (42.5 points) and Equity Bank (35 points) in the medal bracket.
Hotel Africana’s relay team in the 4*100 won in an impressive time of 44:10 (seconds). Close on their heels in the race were Dfcu in 44.92 seconds and Quality Chemicals Industries Limited in 44.95 seconds.
In the 200 metres (women), Hotel Africana’s Brenda Adokorach was in blistering form, sweeping the field in an impressive 29.92 secs. She was closely followed by Equity Bank’s Esther Nanteza and Dummen Orange’s Emmanuela Kiramia.
The 200 metres men saw Hotel Africana’s Daniel Ajok falter with metres to go as he lost the gold to an impressive Brian Niwamanya of Dfcu Bank. He won in 23:09 seconds. In third place was Anthony Oladu from Case Hospital.
For the 100 metres, the crowd held its breath as fractions of seconds separated the winners from the others.
Hotel Africana’s Brenda Adokorach (13.79 secs) replicated her form in the 200 metres and won this one. It was the same for Esther Nanteza of Equity Bank, who took silver with a time of 14:35 secs. Vision Group’s Christine Nakimuli was third in a time of 15:17 secs.
Dfcu’s Brian Niwamanya won the men’s 100 metres in 11:40 seconds, followed by Case Hospital’s Anthony Oladu in 11:73 seconds, and Henry Kayongo of Centenary Bank won bronze in 11:79 seconds.
Fractions of seconds separated winners from the others. The crowd erupted in a mixture of disbelief, joy, and respect. Some cheered wildly for the winners, while others clapped for the athletes who came so close, for the sheer athleticism and courage displayed.
