Uspa gala: Kiplimo, Cheptegei buttress athletics dominance

On a night of glitzy and merry-making, sportsmen and women, sports administrators and sports journalists enjoyed a historic night at

Imperial Royale hotel in Kampala as the Uganda Sports Press Association (Uspa) held the 36th edition of the annual gala to celebrate excellence in sport. The night had been designed as a two-in-one Nile Special Uspa Awards gala to accommodate the years of 2021 and 2022 seeing how the last three years were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic that severely affected sports events all year round.

There were few surprises when Joshua Cheptegei was crowned sportsperson of the year 2021. Similarly, there were no stunned faces when Jacob Kiplimo was announced as the winner of the 2022 award by MP Asuman Basalirwa, who was representing Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among Magogo.

Neither Cheptegei nor Kiplimo were present to receive their trophies – UAF president Dominic Otuchet received them on their behalf, but their absence didn’t take the shine off an evening that was funded by Nile Special, who are partners of Uspa.

The expected triumphs of Cheptegei and Kiplimo mean that athletics is now credited with 21 Uspa gala sportsperson of the year trophies, which is far more than any other discipline. Football and motorsport are the next most successful sports disciplines with four Uspa sportspersons of the year each.

And with Cheptegei and Victor Kiplan- gat both winning gold at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest earlier this year, it is almost a given that the 2023 Nile Special/Uspa sportsperson of the year will be a track athlete.

NCS board chairman Ambrose Tashobya, who represented the minister of state for Sports, Peter Ogwang, reiterated the key role played by sports journalism in growing the subsector.

He, however, called upon media houses to promote constructive criticism. Uspa president Moses Al Sayeed Lubega, meanwhile, picked Mohammed Vaheed and Freddie Ssekitto, the founding chairman of Uganda’s oldest and most prestigious journalism association, for the Presidential awards.

WINNERS FOR PAST 12 YEARS

2010: Moses Kipsiro Ndiema (Athletics)

2011: Susan Muwonge (Motorsport)
2012: Stephen Kiprotich (Athletics)

2013: Stephen Kiprotich (Athletics)

2014: Peace Proscovia (Netball)
2015: Ronald Otile (Golf)

2016: Denis Onyango (Football)
2017: DavidEmong (Para-athlete)
2018: Joshua Cheptegei (Athletics)

2019: Joshua Cheptegei (Athletics)

2021: Joshua Cheptegei (Athletics)

2022: Jacob Kiplimo (Athletics)