World Athletics Cross Country task well executed, says Njia

The 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships concluded on Saturday in Belgrade, Serbia, with Uganda clinching an impressive five medals. Jacob Kiplimo secured a gold medal, while the senior men's team claimed a silver.

The senior women, junior men, and junior women respectively earned three bronze medals.

Annet Chelangat (Left) and Loice Chekwemoi

Compared to Uganda's performance in 2023, where they garnered four medals, this year's achievement displayed a slight improvement despite maintaining the third position.

Delighted by the team's stellar performance, upon return, coach Benjamin Njia emphasized the importance of maintaining the athletes' fitness for upcoming events.

"We have several events where these athletes need to qualify. For example, we have the World Under-20 Athletics Championships, the Africa Senior Championships, and the Olympic Games. We are now embarking on a journey to ensure our athletes meet qualification standards," Njia explained.

Team Captain Annet Chelangat attributed their success to collective teamwork. "Winning team medals was a result of hard work. In cross-country, achieving the lowest cumulative time as a team is essential for securing medals. The fact that both senior and junior teams returned home with medals underscores the dedication of all our athletes," Chelangat remarked.

Overall, at the 2024 World Athletics Championships, Uganda proudly secured the third position with five medals, trailing behind Ethiopia and Kenya, the defending champions.