Business within Amudat district came to a stand-still as Dominic Naido Krop returned home following a bronze medal won during the 2022 ISF Games in Normandy, France.
People of all walks of life from school children (mainly from Katikit Primary School), teachers, boda-boda men, businessmen and women all lined up on the roads to welcome their son back home.
Krop was driven in an Isuzu double cabin Government car registration number UG 4294C as the locals clapped, sung and chorused his name aloud.
“I felt honored and special to be welcomed in a such a glorifying way” Krop who is an S4 Studeny at Standard High School, Zana confessed to Kawowo Sports.
Amudat was celebrating Krop as the first Pokot in Uganda to make the grade in national colours.
He was also the first Pokot to captain the national team as he led the athletics team both during the cross country in Slovakia and the ISF Games in France.
“I am proud to be a Pokot. I want to inspire more Pokot tribe people especially the young ones and prove to them that with hard work, success can be achieved” he added.
For the record, Krop is one of the athletes who played in the first edition of the Karamoja Games.
Krop was one of the athletes who won a medal on team Uganda that competed at the 19th edition of the world secondary schools’ games.
He was part of Uganda’s team that clinched the medley long relay bronze after finishing third with a time of 4:31:61 behind eventual winners Brazil (4:29:10) and Greece ( (4:30:38).
The four-man relay team had Fred Ambayo, Rajab Limuuto Tiimu, Krop and Raymond Omara.
Ambayo opened the way with 200m, Rajab ran 400m, Krop followed with 600m and Omara ended the race with 800m.
Like Krop, Tiimu also hails from the Karamoja region.
Brazil won this fast medley long relay with gold and Greece took silver.
By and large, Uganda won seven medals at the 19th edition of the ISF Gymnasiade Games.
All the seven medals were in one sport; athletics at these U-18 secondary school games that attracted as many as 63 countries in 20 sports disciplines.
There were two gold medals, one silver and four bronze medals at the Stade Helitas, Caen city.
The first of these seven medals came from Victor Cherotich in the 3000m race.
Cherotich who won two medals also added the 1500m bronze medal to his personal collection.
Loice Chepkwemoi clinched gold in the 2000m steeple chase race and Maureen Chebet deservedly earned gold in the 800m race.
Uganda returned to the podium with another bronze by Dolphine Chelimo in the 2000m steeple chase boys under rainy and windy weather conditions.
The final medal fetch was bronze for the boys’ medley long relay.
Uganda only fielded participants in five sports disciplines of athletics, swimming, Table Tennis, Badminton and Basketball (3X3).
Olympian swimmer Kirabo Namutebi came close to a medal with near finish in the 50m free style race.
Namutebi finished fourth in the final but the biggest positive was improving her personal best as she set a new national record with 26:12:1 over 50m freestyle.
The Table Tennis boys and girls’ teams ended 11th and 13th respectively.
For the girls’ basketball team (3X3), they were 8th and the boys complete in the 14th position.
The host cities of these games were Caen Normandie, Deauville, Granville Normandie, Le Harve, Caen Lamer Normandie Communaute Urbaine, Ville de Montivilliers, Ville de Pont Audemer, Rouen, Val de Reuil and La Harvre Seine Metropole.
