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John Akii-Bua (December 3, 1949 – June 20,
1997) was a Ugandan hurdler and
the first Olympic champion from his country.
Akii-Bua started his athletic career as a hurdler on the short
distance, but coached by British-born coach Malcolm Arnold, he was
introduced to the 400 m hurdles [1].
After finishing 4th in the 1970 Commonwealth Games and running the
fastest season time in 1971, he was not a big favourite for the 1972
Summer Olympics in Munich,
having limited competition experience. Nevertheless he won the
final there,running the inside lane, setting a world record time of
47.82 seconds. A spectator handed him a Ugandan flag, and Akii-Bua
accepted it and ran around the track with it unfurled, beginning
the victor's 'lap of honour' tradition.. He missed the 1976
Olympics and a show down with American rival Edwin Moses due to a
boycott of African nations including Uganda.
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, 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 before returning to Uganda and becoming a
coach.[2]
Akii-Bua died a widower, at the age of 47, survived by 11 of his
children. He was given a state funeral [1].
His nephew is international footballer David Obua.
References
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