Athlete Shimotai gives Uganda its third Olympic gold medal in its history

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Ugandan runner Biruth Shimotai won gold in the 3000m hurdles.

France Press agency

Ugandan Biruth Shimotai won her first international title by suspending Olympic gold in the 3000m hurdles, this Wednesday in Tokyo.

She is Uganda’s third Olympic gold, with all sports taken into account, and the first for a woman from an African country. The country’s other two Olympic titles in athletics also came, to John Aki Bua in the 400-meter hurdles in Munich in 1972 and Stephen Kibroch at the 2012 London Marathon.

Silver in this Wednesday’s race went to American Courteney Friedrich (9:04.79) and bronze to Kenyan Heaven King (9:05.39), who was the Olympic runner-up five years ago at Rio 2016.

Shimotai, 22, who especially admires Ethiopian long-distance runner Almaz Ayana, finished the event with a time of 9 minutes, one second and 45 hundredths, a new record for her country.

In the Doha 2019 World Cup, the Ugandan had finished fifth. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, when he was only 17 years old, he was unable to qualify for the event final.

Uganda already had a leading role in athletics Tokyo 2020 in the 10,000m test on Friday, with Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplemo taking silver and bronze respectively.

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