NAIROBI, Kenya — Uganda produced one of its most emphatic performances at the ANOCA Zone V Youth Games on Thursday, sweeping all three medals in the women’s 200m as the country strengthened its position near the top of the medal standings.
Mary Apoko won gold, with Marufa Ahmed Dafala taking silver and Tracy Nabunya completing the all-Ugandan podium with bronze.
The sweep gives Uganda a remarkable clean finish in one of the Games’ premier sprint events and adds to a growing medal haul at the competition, which runs from August 24–28 at Kenyatta University in Nairobi.
The Uganda Olympic Committee said the Games are intended to give young athletes international competition experience and help prepare the next generation for major competitions, including the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Uganda entered the Games with a delegation competing in seven sports: athletics, 3×3 basketball, cycling, judo, swimming, tennis and beach volleyball.
Uganda’s sprint statement
The women’s 200m sweep is particularly significant because it demonstrates the depth emerging in Uganda’s sprint programme.
Dafala and Nabunya were already listed among Uganda’s athletics representatives before the Games, with Nabunya entered in both the 100m and 200m and Dafala in the 400m.
Nabunya’s emergence has been visible in domestic competition. Results from the 2026 Uganda Athletics Federation national trials show that she competed in the 200m and 100m and was among the leading young athletes in the events.
The podium sweep therefore adds an international result to a group of athletes already being tested on the Ugandan circuit.
Long jump adds another bronze
Uganda also collected bronze in the girls’ long jump, with Apiyo Michele recording a best jump of 4.34 metres.
Kenya’s Purity Munyalo won gold with 4.96m, while South Sudan’s Asumpta Philip took silver after jumping 4.36m.
The result gave Uganda another athletics medal as the country’s young team continued to challenge the hosts and other regional competitors.
Athletics action at the Games began on Wednesday, with Kenya taking early control of several events. The hosts won gold in the boys’ 1,500m, boys’ 200m and girls’ long jump on the opening day.
Uganda, however, has continued to add medals across the programme.
Uganda second on medal table
According to the latest medal tally provided from the Games, Kenya leads with 51 medals, comprising 22 gold, 22 silver and seven bronze.
Uganda is second with 23 medals: six gold, seven silver and 10 bronze.
Ethiopia follows with 11 medals, while Rwanda has nine and South Sudan eight.
The tally reflects Uganda’s broad-based performance rather than dependence on a single sport. The country has collected medals in athletics, swimming and judo, while its teams in other disciplines have also remained competitive.
Uganda’s wider medal campaign includes a silver in the men’s 200m for Abraham Lincoln Muhwezi, who clocked 22.66 seconds. Kenya’s Bramwel Chasala won gold in 22.43, while South Sudan’s Faisal Alafi Lino took bronze in 22.98.
A regional test for young athletes
The 2026 ANOCA Zone V Youth Games have brought together more than 300 young athletes from countries across the region. Kenya is hosting the competition at Kenyatta University from August 24–28.
The Games feature athletes from countries including Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
For Uganda, the competition is about more than medals. It is an opportunity to identify and expose young talent before they reach the senior international stage.
UOC President and ANOCA Zone V President Donald Rukare described the Games as an important development platform for young athletes, saying they provide a “breeding ground and preparation ground” for Uganda’s future sporting generation.
The women’s 200m sweep now gives that development programme a striking result: three Ugandan athletes, one podium and no space left for a rival.