Entebbe International airport was bustling with activities this morning as hundreds of people including ministers lined up to receive Stephen Kiprotich, Uganda’s Olympics Gold medalist. Kiprotich jetted into the country aboard a British Airways flight that touched down at Entebbe Airport at exactly 7:30am.
The athlete who was wrapped in the Ugandan flag was received by his wife Patricia Kiprotich, his two children, Ministers Jessica Alupo, Crysostom Muyingo, Charles Bakabulindi, Okello Oryem, Dr Johnson Byabashaija, the Commissioner General Uganda Prisons and members of the Sebei Community. Addressing guests at the VIP lounge, Dr. Johnson Byabashaijja, the Commissioner General Uganda Prisons thanked Kiprotich, who is a Prison warder for carrying Uganda's flag high.
Byabashaijja said that he had recommended to the Uganda Prisons promotion board to promote Kiprotich to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Prisons because he is a World champion. He recounted incident two years ago, when one of the officers attempted to strike Kiprotich from the Uganda Prisons payroll saying that he was away from duty. However, the commissioner general intervened saying the athlete was away training in Kenya.
Outside the Entebbe airport, the athlete was welcomed by a prison brass band as he was led into a waiting open roof Benze that drove him off to Entebbe state house where he is being hosted by President Yoweri Museveni. Kiprotich clinched the gold medal in the men's marathon at the 2012 London Olympics winning in a time of 2:08.01.
He won ahead of Kenyan runners Abel Kirui and Wilson Kiprotich—winning by almost 200-meters after blowing the competition away in the final ten kilometers of the race.
