Ugandan runner Victor Kiplangat is among the winners of the Fortebet Real Stars Sports Monthly Awards for the month of August. In a ceremony held at Lazio Bar and Restaurant in Kololo, Kiplangat was named winner in the athletics category.
This comes just a day after he and Joshua Cheptegei were unanimously voted the joint winner of the USPA Nile Special Sports Personalities for August during the association’s assembly held on Monday at the Imperial Royale Hotel on in Kampala. The latter was also a nominee for the Fortebet Real Stars Award alongside Stephen Kissa.
Kiplangat’s recent recognition comes after he won the men’s marathon of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 27th.
The 23-year-old gallantly protected his lead to win his country’s second ever world marathon title in 2 hours 8 minutes 53 seconds at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, exactly 10 years after compatriot Stephen Kiprotich won the title in Moscow in 2013.
Kiplangat added a world marathon gold to the Commonwealth Games title he clinched last year in Birmingham on the final day of the championships, on what was expected to be the hottest day this year in the Hungarian capital.
At the Tuesday awards session, Kiplangat’s award was picked by Dominic Otuchet who is the President of the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF).
“Marathoners market the country because for around two hours focus is on them,” Otuchet said adding that; “Victor is well disciplined, consistent, patient and self conscious and that has helped him a lot. Ahead of the marathon he was underrated but he managed to get us gold. Cheptegei’s gold on the other hand was expected.” He also thanked the organizers of the Fortebet Real Stars Sports Monthly Awards for recognizing the efforts of the athletes.
Meanwhile, a total of six categories were awarded on Tuesday including Brian Balinnya who won the ludo category after beating competition from Muhammad Kayaaya and Rose Nsereko. Balinnya who is the assistant captain Ntinda United Ludo Club was the first Super League Player since 2019 to win the Individual Ludo Championship. In the finals he beat Kayaaya Muhammed from Impact Ludo Club. Kayaaya needed a ONE to kill off the game while Balinnya needed a TWO to finish off the game, luckily enough a two appeared on the dice and Baliinya scored his last goal to beat Kayaaya who had started from round one on day one at Lugogo.
In the netball category, Shadia Nassanga was named winner. Three woman of the match awards against Jamaica, South Africa in group stage and Malawi in the semi final of the 5th position of the Netball World Cup have earned Nassanga the award. Nassanga who plays for KCCA left Cape Town with a total of 122 goals, she beats teammates Margret Baagala of NIC and Mary Nuba of Loughborough Lightening in England.
Wasswa Ssali was named winner in the boxing category. Dubbed Black Skin, Ssali clinched silver after defeat to South Africa’s Sogwayi Sanele in the final of the Africa Boxing Championship in Cameroon. He rambled from the first round to the final with three games. He beats teammates Erinah Namutebi and Ukasha Matovu to the award. Light welterweight Namutebi clinched silver at the final after losing to Algeria’s Chahib Hichrak while Welterweight Ukasha settled for bronze.
In the football category Yusuf Mukwana was named winner beating competition from Fazila Ikwaput and Shakib Mayanja. Mukwana scored four goals in August for his side Kyaggwe though they failed to progress past the quarters of the Masaza Cup.
In the rally category, Yasin Nasser and Ali Katumba made another appearance at the Fortebet Real Stars Awards podium beating competition from Ponsiano Lwakataka/Paul Musaazi and Jas Mangat/Joseph Kamya. The moil team won the SMC Masaka Rally to be crowned champions of the 2023 NRC with one round to spare. In their Ford Fiesta R5, the duo did a time of 1 hour, 27 minutes and 02 seconds after a competitive distance of 134.53km. Yasin and Katumba went to Burundi and finished second at Burundi International Rally in Bujumbura to set sight on the 2023 ARC.
The Tuesday awards session was graced by Real Stars Sports Agency CEO, Isaac Mukasa, Fortebet’s Resty Mbatidde and and Henry Zzimbe from Jude Color Solutions who are partners. UAF’s Dominic Otuchet was the guest.
