Leonard Chemutai set the ball rolling for Team Uganda at the 2023 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary when he qualified for the men’s 3,000 metres steeplechase final.
Chemutai qualified for the final on Saturday, August 19 after finishing fourth in Heat 2 in a time of eight minutes 24.74 seconds. American Kenneth Rooks won the Heat in eight minutes 23.66 seconds.
Chemutai will now prepare for the final slated for Tuesday, August 22. In this final, the 20-year-old Ugandan runner will up against some of the best performers in the heats such as Ethiopians Lamecha Girma (8:15.89) and Getnet Wale (8:19.99).
Uganda is fielding a team of 16 athletes in the Championships after Jacob Kiplimo, the 5,000m and 10,000m Commonwealth Games champion, withdrew due to injury last week.
Without Kiplimo on the team, Uganda will heavily rely on former world champion Joshua Cheptegei, who is set to compete in the 10,000m final on Sunday, August 20.
Cheptegei will also compete in the 5,000m race, which begins on August 24 with the Qualifying Heats.
Meanwhile, Winnie Nanyondo crashed out of the women’s 1,500m race on Saturday after finishing a distant 12th in one of the heats. She clocked four minutes 10.55 seconds compared to the winner, Hirut Meshesha of Ethiopia, in a time of four minute 03.47 seconds.