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Kagimu to race on Shs56m bike in Paris
The bike.
What you need to know:
Kagimu had not proper bicycle to compete on the streets of Paris but he received a new S-Works specialized bicycle from Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) at the weekend.
PARIS, FRANCE. Of Team Uganda’s first batch to reach the Games’ Village for the Paris 2024 Olympics, cyclist Charles Kagimu will be the last athlete to compete.
His wait of nearly 10 days comes to an end on Saturday when he joins the field to compete in the men’s individual road race of 273km.
For a man who has been riding bicycles since he was little, Kagimu knew he had qualified for his maiden Olympics some 13 months ago.
In 2023, he won the time trial at the African Road Championships in Accra, Ghana. He was chosen to compete in the road race at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships, but did not finish.
“In Ghana, I was in a position to get a medal as well in the road race. But, because of the bike I had, which was allowed, for some reason in the Games, this bike wasn’t competitive enough to win a medal,” Kagimu said.
“The races that I always target, they use different bicycles. For the Olympic Games, I am going to use a road bicycle, which most people know as a sports bicycle with handlebars bent. And then the bike which I used to win in Ghana is called the time trial bicycle. So there are two different bicycles.
Kagimu had not proper bicycle to compete on the streets of Paris but he received a new S-Works specialized bicycle from Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) at the weekend.
Kagimu prepares to try out his new bicycle. PHOTO/DARREN ALLAN KYEYUNE
“That bike cost $15000 (Shs56m). It was also partly facilitated by the government,” said Team Uganda’s chef de mission Moses Mwase yesterday. The bicycle is more expensive than several vehicles on Kampala’s streets, will all due respect.
“An ideal bicycle which is really competitive and world class like for the time trial bicycle that I have ranges between Shs45m to more than Shs100m depending on specifications and builds, equipment on the bike,” said Kagimu.
“I am happy that they decided to facilitate this. I can have a lot of chances to train, go further and also be ready,” added the 25-year-old.
Kagimu will be the only Uganda’s third cyclist in Olympic history and the first to feature in four decades, since the 1984 Los Angeles Games in the USA.
The road race will start from Pont d’Iéna Bridge over the Seine River which is opposite the Eiffel Tower, and finish at Trocadéro.
PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS - TEAM UGANDA RESULTS
UGANDANS IN ACTION
FRIDAY, AUG 2 - DAY 10
10.06am: Kathleen Noble (Rowing - Women’s Single Sculls Final E)
12pm: Jesse Ssengonzi (Swimming - Men’s 100m Butterfly Heats)
7.10pm: Joy Cheptoyek, Sarah Chelangat, Belinda Chemutai (Athletics - Women’s 5000m Heats)
8.45pm: Halimah Nakaayi (Athletics - Women’s 800m Heats)
10:20pm: Joshua Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo, Martin Kiprotich (Athletics - Men’s 10000m Final)
SATURDAY, AUG 3 - DAY 11
12pm: Charles Kagimu (Cycling - Men’s Individual Road Race)
12.20pm: Athletics - Women’s 800m Repechage
SUNDAY, AUG 4 - DAY 12
11.50am: Peruth Chemutai (Athletics - Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Heats)
10.10pm: Athletics - Women’s 800m Semifinal Heats
ABOUT CHARLES KAGIMU
Full name: Charles Kagimu
Date of birth: Sept 15, 1998
Age: 25
Nationality: Uganda
Weight: 63 kg
Height: 1.80 metres
Place of birth: Kampala
Olympic Discipline: Cycling (Men’s Individual Road Race)
Appearances: 1 (Paris 2024)
Last Race: Kaptagat Cycling Challenge (66km, 3rd place on Jul 6)
Union Cycliste Internationale World Ranking: 477
Pro Cycling Stats Ranking: 407
