Yeko was a front runner most of the time, exchanging the lead with German Markus Georger and tactically staying behind teammate Wangwe before exploding in the final lap
Budding long distance runner Dismas Yeko executed the perfect final kicks to claim gold at the World University Cross-Country event in Portugal on Saturday.
Competing over the 10km course at the University of Aveiro, Yeko took gold in a thrilling race with teammate Brian Wangwe finishing third.
Emmanuel Otim was 20the with the fourth Ugandan, Sam Cheptegei, coming home in 38th to ensure a silver for the men’s team with 24 points, three behind winners Morocco out of the 17 participating teams. Yeko was a front runner most of the time, exchanging the lead with German Markus Georger and tactically staying behind teammate Wangwe before exploding in the final lap.
Yeko, 17, a student of Ndejje University, is a two-time national gold medallist. He finished the 8km juniors’ race in the National Cross-Country in Tororo with a personal best of 22 minutes to defend his title.
Seen as the next big thing, Yeko finished sixth last year in the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya. In the women’s race, British pair of Isobel Fry and Saskia Millard took gold and silver with the only Ugandan representative, Knight Aciru, finishing seventh place in 32:52.
The race was run in humid condition of up to 92 per cent that coach Faustino Kiwa, who travelled with the team, rued for their chances. “We’ve performed well despite the weather conditions that made it difficult for the runners,” Kiwa said.
The 2022 Fisu World University Championship is the 22nd edition since it was first held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1978.
