John Akii-Bua

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox sportsperson John Akii-Bua (3 December 1949 – 20 June 1997) was a Ugandan hurdler and the first Olympic champion from his country Uganda.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1986, he was a recipient of the Silver Olympic Order.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Biography

Akii-Bua was raised in a family of 43 children from one father and his eight wives.<ref>Template:Cite news</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, he was introduced to the 400 meter hurdles.<ref name="Inzikuru">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 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 tribe, many of whom were persecuted by Amin,<ref>Template:Cite news</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 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">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>John Akii-Bua Template:Webarchive. sports-reference.com</ref>

The phrase "akii-buas" has come to colloquially mean "runs" in Uganda.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

External links

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