Uganda wins two athletics bronze medals at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games
Uganda has secured two bronze medals in athletics at the ongoing Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, following performances by Michael Kibet and Keren Chelimo in the men’s 2,000m steeplechase and women’s 3,000m respectively.
Kibet claimed bronze in the men’s 2,000m steeplechase, clocking a personal best of 5:39.50.
Ethiopia’s Junedin Abdo won gold in 5:29.30, while Kenya’s Wesley Kiplagat Kipkech took silver in 5:36.28.
In the women’s 3,000m, Chelimo secured Uganda’s second bronze medal, finishing in a season’s best time of 9:32.41.
Kenya’s Faith Rono won gold in 9:15.47, narrowly beating Ethiopia’s Yordanos Tsigab, who settled for silver in 9:15.71.
Both races produced all-East African podium finishes, continuing the region’s strong record in international distance running.
The two medals add to Uganda’s tally at the Games, where the country’s young athletes are competing against some of the world’s leading emerging talents.
Cheptoek qualifies for 800m final
Meanwhile, Uganda’s Timothy Cheptoek has qualified for the men’s 800m final after finishing third in his semi-final.
Cheptoek clocked a personal best of 1:55.21 to secure his place in Tuesday’s final, where he will seek to add another medal to Uganda’s tally.
His qualification follows the bronze medal performances by Kibet and Chelimo as Uganda continues its athletics campaign in Dakar.
Uganda sent 25 athletes drawn from seven sports federations to the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games, which conclude on Friday this week.
