Editing John Akii-Bua (section)

==Biography==
Akii-Bua was raised in a family of 43 children from one father and his eight wives.<ref>{{cite news | title=Personalities at Olympics: Akii-Bua the Best in Vest | date=4 September 1972 | work=The New York Times | pages=10 Section: Sports | quote=He is one of a family of 43 children. His father had eight wives.}}</ref><ref name=sr/> Akii-Bua started his athletic career as a short-distance hurdler, but failed to qualify for the 1968 Olympics.<ref name=sr/> Coached by British-born athletics coach [[Malcolm Arnold (athletics coach)|Malcolm Arnold]], he was introduced to the 400 meter hurdles.<ref name="Inzikuru">[http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=45202.html IAAF, 5 June 2008]: Inzikuru to return to action in Akii Bua CAA Grand Prix</ref> After finishing fourth in the 1970 [[Commonwealth Games]] and running the fastest time of 1971, he was not a big favourite for the [[1972 Summer Olympics]] in [[Munich]], having limited competitive experience. Nevertheless, he won the final there, setting a world record time of 47.82 seconds despite running on the inside lane. He missed the [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympics]] and a showdown with United States rival [[Edwin Moses]] because of the boycott by Uganda and other African nations.<ref name=sr/>

As a police officer, Akii-Bua was promoted by Ugandan president [[Idi Amin]] and given a house as a reward for his athletic prowess. When the Amin regime was collapsing, he fled to [[Kenya]] with his family, fearful that he would be seen as a collaborator; this was more likely because he was a member of the [[Langi people|Langi]] tribe, many of whom were persecuted by Amin,<ref>{{cite news|title=John Akii-Bua, 47 Is Dead; Ugandan Won Olympic Gold|date=25 June 1997|work=The New York Times|page=D20|quote=Amin was purging the Lango tribe, and Akii-Bua was Lango}}</ref> whereas Akii-Bua was cited by Amin as an example of a Langi who was doing well. However, in Kenya he was put into a refugee camp. From there, he was freed by his shoe-manufacturer [[Puma SE|Puma]] and lived in [[Germany]] working for Puma for 3–4 years. He represented Uganda once again at the [[1980 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=sr/> Later he returned to Uganda and became a coach.<ref name="BBC">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d1fjt The John Akii-Bua Story: an African Tragedy], documentary by Dan Gordon, BBC2, 10 August 2008</ref>

Akii-Bua died a widower, at the age of 47, survived by eleven children. He was given a state funeral.<ref name="Inzikuru"/> His nephew is international footballer [[David Obua]], and his brother [[Lawrence Ogwang]] competed in the long jump and triple jump at the 1956 Olympics.<ref name=sr>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ak/john-akii-bua-1.html John Akii-Bua] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722173151/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ak/john-akii-bua-1.html |date=22 July 2015 }}. sports-reference.com</ref>

The phrase "''akii-buas''" has come to colloquially mean "runs" in Uganda.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster |author=Tim Crothers |author-link=Tim Crothers |isbn=9781451657814 |date=9 October 2012 |publisher=Scribner}}</ref>