Burundi Police Dominate Opening Day at East Africa Interforces Judo Championship

By Kayiira Jackson

Burundi National Police stole the show on day one of the East Africa Interforces Judo Championship, powering to five gold medals out of the six contested categories at Old Kampala Sports Arena.

Their commanding display overshadowed rivals from DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda in the third edition of the regional security forces tournament.

The championship, organized by the Uganda Police Force and sponsored by the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS), has attracted 80 athletes from eight interforce teams representing five countries.

Hosts Uganda Police made a respectable start, collecting five medals. Susan Awio (-48kg) and Veronica Ayo (-57kg) delivered two silver medals, while Teddy Aloro (-52kg), Joan Nabirye (-57kg) and the lone male medalist, Gabriel Kiplimo (-60kg), secured bronze finishes.

Burundi’s heroic run was led by Arnaud Niyonyishu, who clinched gold in the men’s -66kg category, and Lyn Irakoze, who triumphed in the -73kg division. DR Congo also earned a moment of glory as Jean Botihi Mongida captured the gold medal in the men’s -60kg category—the only non-Burundian gold of the day.

Action resumes on Sunday, December 7, with the decisive clashes in the men’s -81kg, -90kg, -100kg and +100kg categories, alongside the women’s -63kg, -70kg, -78kg and +78kg divisions. More medals—and the coveted championship trophies—will be up for grabs as the tournament reaches its climax.

Teams from Uganda, Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya and Rwanda are battling for regional supremacy in what is shaping up to be the most competitive edition yet of the East Africa Interforces Judo Championship.