Prime
Orogot flawlessly finer in Florida
Orogot shows off his gold medal in Gainesville after winning the 200m race at the SEC Championships. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
Here to stay. Uganda is at the centre of the global sprints audience’s conversations thanks to Tarsis Orogot. The US-based runner produced a new life-time best of 19.75 seconds to win the 200m race at the SEC Championships, thereby becoming the fifth fastest African man ever and the fourth fastest in the world this year. Orogot believes it’s only the beginning, with the Paris Olympics in sight.
It is certainly clear that Ugandan sprinter Tarsis Orogot isn’t interested in just participating at the Paris Olympics in France come August.
Over the past month, Orogot has threatened the sprinting world that he can produce his best-ever show at a championships come the Olympics.
The Paris Games were his main goal after he narrowly yet painfully missed a medal in fourth place over the 200m final during World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya three years ago.
At the weekend, the now US-based sprinter broke another barrier once again as he won the 200m event during the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Florida.
Representing the University of Alabama, Orogot showed new marks of growth after produced a new personal best mark of 19.75 seconds for victory at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville.
“I feel very happy and grateful to God for the constant improvement that’s been happening with my track career,” Orogot told this paper before flying back to Alabama yesterday. “I continue to build on this performance to get them more consistent.”
The performance from lane 7 was quite phenomenal and it ranks him as the fourth fastest man over the distance in the world this year. Only Americans Kenneth Bednarek and Courtney Lindsey as well as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo have run faster than him.
In the 100m earlier, he has posted 10.06 in fifth place via lane 9. When it got to his favourite 200m race, he was flawless.
“It was a good performance coming off my 100m personal record so I knew I was in a better place to personal record in the 200m as well,” Orogot said.
He pointed his finger up in the air as wheeled away in celebration after he had gained control of the lead upon the end of the turn to face the home straight. Orogot only exuded poetry in the home stretch, eventually relaxing a bit after he was sure of the win.
“My 100m is getting better. It is making me more comfortable in the blocks and able to set my 200m race better. This 19.75 is just the beginning. It’s now just about getting consistent and I will be in a good place,” he added.
With coach Blaine Wiley, Orogot only wants to perfect a few things and hope he can bag the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) title.
He is the fastest this year on the NCAA charts and third fastest ever in collegiate history. Furthermore, he is the fastest East African ever and the fifth fastest African man ever over the 200m distance.
It will all be building momentum in quest for a lane in the Olympics men’s 200m final at Stade de France on the night of August 8.
Only one Ugandan man - Davis Kamoga - has run an Olympic sprints final before, picking a 400m bronze medal at the Atlanta 1996 Games on July 29, 1996 in the USA.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN’S 200M RESULT
1 Tarsis Orogot (UGA) 19.75
2 Wanya McCoy (BAH) 19.93
3 Makanakaishe Charamba (ZIM) 20.00
MEN’S 100M RESULT
1 Godson Oke (NGR) 9.99
2 Wanya McCoy (BAH) 10.02
3. Mccallum T’Mars (USA) 10.03
4 Myles Thomas (USA) 10.04
5 Tarsis Orogot (UGA) 10.06
2024 WORLD’S FASTEST MEN OVER 200M
19.67 seconds by Kenneth Bednarek (USA) on May 10 in Doha, Qatar
19.71 seconds by Courtney Lindsey (USA) on Apr 20 in Nairobi, Kenya
19.71 seconds by Letsile Tebogo (BOT) on Apr 20 in Nairobi, Kenya
19.75 seconds by Tarsis Orogot (UGA) in Gainesville - Florida, USA
OROGOT AT A GLANCE
Full Name: Tarsis Gracious Orogot
Nickname: ‘Gonya’
Date of birth: November 24, 2002
Major events: 100m and 200m
Outdoor Personal bests: 10.17 seconds (100m) and 19.90 (200m)
Coach: Blaine Wiley
Management: None
Major Honours: Uganda 100m and 200m Junior and Senior National Records, 2021 World U20 200m Finalist (4th place), 2022 200m NCAA Trophy (5th place), 2023 200m Indoor Trophy (2nd Place)
FASTEST TIMES BY UGANDAN SPRINTERS
200M (BEST TIME BY ATHLETE)
19.75 seconds by Tarsis Orogot (May 11, 2024)
20.63 seconds by Moses Mila Mayat (Mar 27, 1998)
20.81 seconds by Pius Adome (Jun 4, 2017)
20.92 seconds by Ali Ngaimoko (Jul 14, 2011)
21.04 seconds by Emmanuel Tugumisirize (Apr 19, 2014)
