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Ugandan skater Brian Bukenya, ranked 253 globally, was the top performer for his country, finishing in 156th position with 6.58 points. Veteran Douglas Mwesigwa managed 4.10 points, placing him five positions lower than Bukenya.
Ugandan skaters started their Olympic qualifying campaign with a disappointing display at the World Street Championship in Sharjah, UAE.
The event, which took place at Aljada Skate Park, had five Tokyo 2020 Olympians in the mix.
Ugandan skater Brian Bukenya, ranked 253 globally, was the top performer for his country, finishing in 156th position with 6.58 points.
Veteran Douglas Mwesigwa managed 4.10 points, placing him five positions lower than Bukenya.
Neither skater earned ranking points from the World Skate sanctioned event, which was crucial for collecting points for the final slots of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Mwesigwa, regarded as the best skateboarder in Uganda, previously qualified for the 2021 qualifiers and may have been affected by the sabbatical he took.
Moses Ddungu, president of the Uganda Skateboarding Federation, believes that Uganda’s performance provides a glimmer of hope given the lack of activity and proper skateboarding facility in the country.
"We have to keep participating in global events so that our athletes get used to international competitions," Ddungu told Daily Monitor, adding; “Comparatively, we performed very well. Considering the skate park we used, there is hope,”.
Uganda has only two venues available for national events, which by international standards are regarded as sub-standard.
All hope is not lost for the Ugandan skaters, with the window of qualification as wildcards still available for the disadvantaged countries that that fail to provide athletes who meet qualification standards.
However, Ugandan skaters must be in the top 50 at the end of the Olympic qualification period to become eligible for the available two wildcard places.
Uganda is indeed at disadvantaged, as only five African countries took part in the first qualifier, and all of their athletes finished above the Ugandan skaters.
The highest-ranked African rider at the championship was Brandon Valjalo of South Africa, who ranked 61 out of the 171 participants.
French Olympian Giraud Aurelien emerged as the winner with 269.33 points after a classic performance in the final run, having been out of the medal brackets going into the fourth round.
He beat Portuguese skater Gustavo Ribeiro to second place with 267.38 points while 12-year-old Japanese phenomenon Onodero Ginwoo of Japan placed third with 263.4 points.
The next stop for street skaters on the road to Paris 2024 will be Rome, Italy, for a World Skateboarding Tour stop from June 18-25.
Skaters will have to earn ranking points from World Championships, Olympic Qualifier series, Pro Tour events, as well as five-star and three-star events.
A total of 44 places are available for the park and street competitions at Paris 2024.
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