| Uganda at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | UGA |
| NOC | Uganda Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| inRio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 21 in 3 sports |
| Flag bearer | Joshua Tibatemwa[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Uganda competed at the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Since the nation's official debut in1956, Ugandan athletes have appeared in every edition of theSummer Olympic Games, with the exception of the1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal because of its partial support of the African boycott.
TheUganda Olympic Committee fielded a team of 21 athletes, 14 men and 7 women, to compete only in athletics, boxing, and swimming at the games.[2][3] It was the nation's largest delegation sent to the Olympics since1988, eclipsing the record of 15 athletes who attended the London games four years earlier. About 80 percent of Uganda's full roster competed in athletics, particularly those who specialized in long-distance running and the marathon.
The Ugandan roster featured six returning Olympians, although only four of them competed in London in 2012: defending marathon championStephen Kiprotich, swimmerJamila Lunkuse, and the steeplechase tandem ofJacob Araptany andBenjamin Kiplagat, who headed to his third games as the most experienced member. Meanwhile, Sweden-based boxersRonald Serugo (men's flyweight) andKennedy Katende (men's light heavyweight) staged their Olympic comeback in Rio de Janeiro after eight years of absence.[4]
Other notable athletes on the Ugandan team wereSolomon Mutai who won a bronze medal in themen's marathon at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing; 15-year-old distance runnerJacob Kiplimo (men's 5000 metres); and US-based freestyle swimmerJoshua Tibatemwa, who was the nation's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[5]
Uganda, however, left Rio de Janeiro without a medal, in contrast to the previous Games. Distance runnerJoshua Kiprui Cheptegei produced the most successful outcome for Uganda, finishing eighth in themen's 5,000 metres and sixth with a personal best in themen's 10,000 metres.[6] The nation's most celebrated athlete, Kiprotich, failed to retain his marathon title, slipping to a fourteenth-place finish in Rio de Janeiro.[7]
Ugandan athletes achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):[8][9]
A total of 17 athletes (11 men and 6 women), highlighted by defending Olympic marathon champion Kiprotich, were named as part of Uganda's official team announcement for the Games on 15 July 2016.[2]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Ronald Musagala | 1500 m | 3:38.45 | 4Q | 3:40.37 | 5Q | 3:51.68 | 11 |
| Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei | 5000 m | 13:25.70 | 4Q | — | 13:09.17 | 8 | |
| Jacob Kiplimo | 13:30.40 | 11 | — | Did not advance | |||
| Phillip Kipyego | 13:24.66SB | 11 | — | Did not advance | |||
| Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei | 10000 m | — | 27:10.06PB | 6 | |||
| Moses Kurong | — | 28:03.38 | 22 | ||||
| Timothy Toroitich | — | 28:04.84 | 23 | ||||
| Jacob Araptany | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:21.53 | 2Q | — | DNF | ||
| Benjamin Kiplagat | 8:30.76 | 6 | — | Did not advance | |||
| Jackson Kiprop | Marathon | — | 2:22:09 | 80 | |||
| Stephen Kiprotich | — | 2:13:32 | 14 | ||||
| Solomon Mutai | — | 2:11:49 | 8 | ||||
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Halimah Nakaayi | 800 m | 1:59.78PB | 5q | 2:00.63 | 6 | Did not advance | |
| Winnie Nanyondo | 2:02.77 | 6 | Did not advance | ||||
| Juliet Chekwel | 5000 m | 15:29.07 | 9 | — | Did not advance | ||
| Stella Chesang | 15:49.80 | 13 | — | Did not advance | |||
| Juliet Chekwel | 10000 m | — | DNF | ||||
| Peruth Chemutai | 3000 m steeplechase | 9:31.03PB | 7 | — | Did not advance | ||
| Nyakisi Adero | Marathon | — | 2:42:39 | 68 | |||
Uganda entered two boxers to compete in each of the following weight classes in the Olympic boxing tournament. 2008 OlympiansRonald Serugo andKennedy Katende, who previously competed for Sweden, had claimed Olympic spots as a result of their box-off triumphs at the2016 African Qualification Tournament inYaoundé,Cameroon.[10]
| Athlete | Event | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | ||
| Ronald Serugo | Men's flyweight |  Abgaryan (ARM)L 1–2 | Did not advance | ||||
| Kennedy Katende | Men's light heavyweight |  Buatsi (GBR)LTKO | Did not advance | ||||
Uganda received a Universality invitation fromFINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.[2][11][12]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Joshua Tibatemwa | Men's 50 m freestyle | 25.98 | 64 | Did not advance | |||
| Jamila Lunkuse | Women's 100 m breaststroke | 1:19.64 | 40 | Did not advance | |||
