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As we celebrate Heroes Day on June 9th, Pulse Sports’ Fred Mwambu counts down the top athletes and administrators that he feels are making a mark in the domestic scenes. Here we go;
6. Hassan Badru Zziwa
Someone once said; "if you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it’s part of a tree”.
And yes, in Uganda's sports spheres, no one has given the current generation tonnes of knowledge about our past like the one and only Hassan Badru Zziwa.
He is a distinguished journalist who has lived his life to fill his house with pieces of history for the noble job – to educate the generations about their past and how they can shape their future. He is a true legend and sits on the table of heroes in Uganda's sports.
5. Jacob Kiplimo
Jacob Kiplimo is the present and the future! A world champion at 22 with a very promising future.
His rise has been meteoric, has given the country hope and raised the expectations that Uganda always waits for a podium place as long as he is in action.
Only the future knows what this superstar will become at his full strength. He is a present and future hero of athletics and Uganda's sports.
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17:54 - 07.05.2023
SPORTS HERITAGE From Omondi, The Beast, Onyango, Akii-Bua, here are Uganda’s top 10 athletes of all time
There are two certainties in life; death and taxes. If there was to be a third, it would be the subjectiveness of a discussion or debate to rank the greatest of all time in any sport. Yet sport wouldn’t be what it is without arguments.
Denis Onyango has seen it all! Arguably the most popular Ugandan sportsman in the diaspora, Onyango has given hope to many youths.
From his early struggles in the South African league to becoming the greatest and most-decorated player in one of Africa’s top leagues, Onyango is undoubtedly the greatest footballer Uganda ever produced.
He etched his name in history when he became only the second goalkeeper after World Cup champion Oliver Khan to beat outstanding playmakers to win a major individual award when he won the CAF Player of The Year (Based in Africa) award in 2016. Onyango is not only a hero in the Ugandan sporting fraternity but the goalkeeping world and Africa at large.
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19:02 - 02.04.2023
STARS ABROAD Onyango’s 10th heaven as Sundowns seal the league title
As Mamelodi Sundowns prepare to celebrate winning a sixth straight league title and sixteenth overall, goalkeeper Denis Masinde Onyango will pick up a record-extending 10th PSL title.
3. Joshua Cheptegei
It’s even harder to compare Cheptegei with any other dead or living Ugandan athlete. He is simply the GREATEST OF ALL TIME! Cheptegei is a humble soul that is feared on the world stage by even the fiercest of runners.
At 15, Cheptegei was already ruling his peers as a world champion; and at 26, he is an Olympic champion, a world champion and holds the fastest man in the 5,000m and 10,000m, respectively.
Cheptegei took the personal initiative to construct his own Joshua Cheptegei Training Centre after the government’s Kiprotich High-Altitude Centre stalled.
He built a home for Ugandan long-distance runners and is nurturing upcoming world beaters.
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15:18 - 29.05.2023
PRIDE OF THE NATION: Ranking the Top 10 Athletes in Uganda who've conquered the world
Breaking barriers is what they do; because growing up in the Ugandan setting and reaching the world stage as a top athlete is not your everyday success story.
2. Omar Mandela
It is hard to pick out one of the greatest administrators of all time and leave Hajj Omar Mandela, leave alone the active ones.
Mandela is one of those administrators associated with Villa’s peak when the club reigned supreme in Ugandan football circles.
He is also the man tagged ‘The Dictator’ in the local basketball fraternity. Mandela’s City Oilers have reduced the basketball league to a Bundesliga of sorts where the winner is known before the paint dries for tip-off.
He has set standards beyond rich. His return to SC Villa this season is a testament that his hand is golden, or let’s say near-!
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1. Lawrence Mulindwa
Without a doubt, Lawrence Mulindwa is the ultimate Hero of our times!
At the moment, it’s hard to pick a club in the Uganda Premier League without a single player who has not enjoyed his generosity in terms of bursaries at the prestigious St. Mary’s Secondary School in Kitende.
Mulindwa sponsored the netball league for about three years as well.
From the North to the South, East to the deep west, Mulindwa’s impact has been felt across the board, but that’s not why he tops the list!
The construction of the St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende has set Mulindwa apart from even the greatest of all time.
This unique gesture has provided the country’s football with a place to call home. Being the only one that has met the minimum CAF standards, the stadium has masked the country’s shame of facilities.
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10:41 - 16.07.2023
FOOTBALL Isabirye, Micho, Mutebi and the distinguished class of the Salongos
Vipers joined KCCA FC, SC Villa and Express in the league of clubs that have won the Uganda Premier League and Uganda Cup double.
NOTE: This list is for current and active personalities and has not been exhausted; if you have your own mortals and immortals who you feel have done better, please feel free to give us your opinion and reasons, we promise to publish. HAPPY HEROES DAY!
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