Celebrations in Uganda over Kiprotich’s Moscow gold

August 18, 2013 (KAMPALA) – Ugandan athlete Stephen Kiprotich cemented his place among the world’s elite runners after winning gold at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow on Saturday, sending Ugandans into wild celebrations.

“Kiprotich is Uganda’s greatest”, screamed the Daily Monitor newspaper in its headline.

All the major newspapers splashed his pictures across their front pages, with TV viewers and radio listeners suggesting that a modern sports training facility be built and named after the athlete, while others said his picture should be used on a new Uganda shillings note the central bank intends to introduce.

“The prison service will have a meeting this week to discuss what to do for him”, said Frank Baine, the spokesperson of the Ugandan prison service where until last year Kiprotich was a prison warder before being promoted to the more senior rank of assistant superintendant of prisons after winning gold at the London Olympics.

The Ugandan athlete beat strong competition from Ethiopians Lelisa Desisa and Tadese Tola to emerge victorious in the men’s 42km race in Moscow, the first time that the event has been won by a non-Kenyan since 2005.

(ST)