Ugandan long distance runner Jacob Kiplimo on Tuesday night emerged winner of the men’s 5000m heat at the Continental Tour Gold meet (Golden Spike Meeting) in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Kiplimo, 19, a UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) subscribed athlete posted a winning time of 12:48.63 to come atop the pack. The Tuesday night winning time is his personal best.
Kiplimo’s heroics attracted the attention of Minister of Education and Sports and First Lady, Janet K. Museveni who took it to social media to congratulate the athlete.
The Ostrava meet was the first time Kiplimo appeared on the track ever since July 2018.
Kiplimo had traveled with fellow UWA athlete and countrymate Winnie Nanyondo, who finished ninth at the women’s 1500m heat.
Earlier on, the two athletes were cleared to travel for the event by government due to the current tight travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting was originally scheduled for May but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
