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Bronze for Emong
Flag Bearer. Emong didn’t get the gold he so much desired but celebrated his bronze finish. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- Two In Two. In 2016, as the nation’s sole representative in Rio, Emong won a silver medal - the first in Uganda’s history at the Paralympics, now he has picked up a bronze.
Blood on his left knee is not a sign of pain for David Emong. It’s a badge of honour, earned for winning his second Paralympic medal, a bronze in the men’s 1500m T46 race here in Tokyo yesterday.
Emong, a silver medallist in Rio 2016, Uganda’s first, was always the best bet at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. It’s not the gold he desired but it’s one that he was pleased to get.
“You know, the way I trained, it was for gold,” Emong said in a post-race interview in a race won by Russia Paralympic Committee’s 26-year old Aleksandr Iaremchuk in a time of three minutes and 52.08 seconds.
Hristiyan Stoyanov, 23, was second while Emong stopped the clock at three minutes and 53.51 seconds, a Personal Best, to take third place. Algeria’s Samir Nouiua, the gold medallist in Rio and this race’s poster boy, came fourth.
Bruised
“You know when people are pushing, people (hit me with a) spike when we were on the move. So, the spike hit my knee,” he said, pointing to the blood-stained knee. “That disorganised me first so I retreated but I said I said I must die for my country.”
Pre-race, the 2017 Nile Special-Uganda Sports Press Association (Uspa) sports personality and male athlete of the year had complained about the hot and humid conditions for the mid-morning battle.
“The condition here is tough. This place is hot, very hot, very very hot,” Emong affirmed. “But, when I landed here, I started training and was in my room using the AC (air conditioner).
Talking tactics
Tactically, Emong felt the execution could have been better even if he was rusty having last run an international race in March.
The 12-man field was bundled up and the Ugandan was stuck in the inside lane, clearly sandwiched.
He opted to pursue the leading pair with 350 metres to go but never really closed the gap.
In fact, with 200m to go, he was protecting his bronze and not going for the jugular. “I thank God for this medal. Even those I have been training with in Kapchorwa (Peter Akwech and Tony Omara) have been pushing me and praying for me.
“When I came here, I knew that when the worst comes to the worst, I must be in the medal bracket. But, if it was not this spike, that was gold.
“I had already calculated their move. But when people gave me a spike, I first withdrew. When the kicking started, I was off but I said I must die a little for my country,” Emong explained.
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
1. Aleksandr Iaremhcuk (RPC) 3:52.08
2. Hristiyan Stoyanov (Bulgaria) 3:52.63
3. David Emong (Uganda) 3:53.51
4. Samir Nouioua (Algeria) 3:55.56
5. Gemechu A. Dinsa (Ethiopia) 3:56.04
6. Felix Kipruto (Kenya) 3:59.98
7. Christian L. Olsen (Denmark) 4:00.16
8. Hermas Muvunyi (Rwanda) 4:00.46
9. Luke Nuttall (Great Britain) 4:02.65
10. Remy Nikobimeze (Burundi) 4:05.44
11. Manuel E. Jamie (Angola) 4:09.79
12. LI Chaoyan Li (China) 4:11.63
