Ugandan first-time Olympian Leonard Chemutai earned a place in the Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase final at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Chemutai was impressive on his debut at Stade de France, finishing second in Heat 1 with a season-best time of 8:18.19 in a heat which was won by the defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco), who clocked in at 8:17.90.
Chemutai needed a strong push on the home stretch to seal a place in the Wednesday Final. It was a massive improvement from last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
In the final, he will line up with some of the best steeplechasers the world has to offer such as Lamecha Girma (Ethiopia), El Bakkali, Amos Serem (Kenya), Abraham Kibiwot (Kenya) and Samuel Frewu (Ethiopia) among others.
It should be remembered that Uganda paint manufacturing giants Kansai Plascon through their “Twaake” (meaning “go and shine”) campaign, gave the Ugandan contingent of 25 athletes a financial boost ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Courtesy Photos
