Gold for Uganda: A case of team spirit!
Guest Reporter
The team spirit was in the air. Yes, it was gold for an athlete but the fever of excitement that swept through all the team Uganda Athletes was nothing short of amazing. “…I know in Uganda they are going to celebrate for a full week!” an elated Halima Nakaayi told journalists. And indeed the country, at least the lightening-speed-like social-media section of the country did.
But for the people in Doha Qatar currently attending the World Athletics event, 800M women’s champion Nakaayi was evidently a team player. Her and fellow team-mate Winnie Nanyondo were each other’s support system.
As they prepped for the race, this bond peered through for all and sundry to see. To the bare eye, they could have passed for sisters. It didn’t come as a surprise therefore when Nanyondo, a runners up in the same race celebrated Nakaayi with such raw passion. As they arrived to talk to the press, it was almost hard to tell who had won the gold.
Nakaayi, a born of Mukono district and Athlete with the Uganda Wild Life Authority’s team might not have bagged a win this huge before, but anyone that is kin to the Athletics world knows her. “Oh my God, this girl deserves this,” many could be heard whispering. A young lady of such warm temperament, even after the win, you could see her warmth. Arriving to hugs from fellow team-mates, she kept saying, “we did it!”
She was proud of herself alright, but also happy that she had delivered for her country. But what many will not forget will be how quickly she took to the Kiganda dance even when evidently exhausted. Nakaayi is every bit first Ugandan, then everything else after, a big congratulations to her!
