Peace Lekuru reigns 

The 2023 Nile Special Uganda Rugby Union (URU) awards on Saturday, December 9 were such a glitzy affair at the Serena Kampala hotel.

By the time the main celebrants, Pius Ogena and Peace Lekuru, the male and female most valuable players (MVPs), were crowned, it was inching closer to midnight.

So, by the time all the merry and picture taking was done for these two stars, Lekuru could only get into her bed in Entebbe, where she resides by 1 am. Entering bed that late on a Saturday night should not be outrageous for an athlete, particularly when they will be able to sleep-in on Sunday. This would have provided Lekuru with an opportunity to reminisce about her second-best Ugandan rugby player award in succession.

But for Lekuru, she was up at 4 am and, by 5 am, she was in a taxi heading to King’s park, Bweyogerere for the national team training. She reached the training ground at 6 am, ready to go again, instead of celebrating her recent success.

Talk about love for rugby, and Lekuru embodies that. Speaking with a hearty laugh, considerable from how well Saturday night went for her, Lekuru does not deny her love for rugby and the glory she is enjoying currently.

She said: “I was over the moon for being announced the best player of 2023. It was a bit surprising, seeing how tight the competition of Asha Nakityo and Emilly Lekuru was. But the work starts now.”

Lekuru, 23, feels the pressure of not dropping the standards she has set. It is for that reason that she felt no strain being on the training field just hours after picking up her award.

“We have the HSBC sevens series coming up in January. So, we must be in top shape to achieve, as a team,” Lekuru said.

CONSISTENCY 

Just last month, Lekuru inspired the Lady Rugby Cranes to gold in the Kenya Safari Sevens in a 15-12 win over the hosts in the final. That came on the back of leading her team to a bronze medal in Tunisia during the Africa Women’s Sevens championship in October.

Such is the consistency of Lekuru, and it has all come down to her hard work and tough training regime. She does both gym work and road work daily, leading her life as a professional athlete. On days when there is no training at her club, Avengers, Lekuru trains with Entebbe’s big men’s side, the Mongers.

In fact, she is not afraid to throw in the tackles, let alone get tackled. That has toughened her. Beatrice Atim, a rugby development officer at URU first spotted Lekuru back in 2010 while in primary school. She used to play netball. Yet, for Atim, Lekuru had the will and determination that would succeed in rugby.

“But more importantly, she had built confidence and she is always willing to listen to her coaches,” Atim said.

In addition, Lekuru’s teammate, Yolanda Namagembe said she does not think she has met anyone that wants to win and drives others never to give up like Lekuru.

Perhaps, with that, it is unsurprising Lekuru is turning out to be the face of women’s rugby in Uganda today. Her dream to become a seasoned rugby professional player like her idol, Phillip Wokorach, who plays in France, is not far-fetched.