When Akampa Seth fell down and off the 10,000m race yesterday, 21st December 2025, the event he was defending, many could not count him back for the 5000m race.
However, he beat all odds to come back beaming today in the trickier 5000m race, thanks to the Red Cross Doctors and his coaches Gordon Ahimbisibwe and Abudalah Byabagambi.
The Bishop Stuart University (BSU) law student went all the way to smash the record in 14:40 minutes, beating Bugema University’s 10,000m gold medallist Elisha Yeko, who settled for silver after 20 seconds.
The 5,000 m and 10,000m East African double medallist, world university cross-country gold holder (2023), 10,000m national winner and now 5,000 m national champion, makes Akampa the most decorated Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) long-distance runner of his generation.
“Our God Reigns and he has done it for me. I lost out to my title defence yesterday and I had a bad night of thoughts. But thank God he kept me strong and I recovered in time. Having gone back with no medal would not have been good. But I have it, and I have set a record that next championship, another person will be coming for it,” Akampa narrates.
Akampa’s Gold was BSU’s fourth medal at the games, with Patricia Kobuhwezi (silver 1500m and 5000m bronze) and Henry Mugume (10,000m bronze) having won the others.
Mercy Ajanga and Ishmail Akanyijuka reached the finals of 100m & 200m and could not finish in the medal positions, but posted personal best times. BSU, one of the three universities from Western Uganda, is still in contention for woodball medals but has had both its volleyball teams and netball eliminated.