Africa-Press – Uganda. Since childhood Dan Tumukunde stood out for his size. Everyone told him to do something about his bilging body. He was hesitant. But when he finally hit the gym in 2019, he got hooked.
His first competition as a weightlifter was at a national trial for Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In snatch he lifted 60kg, and 80kg in clean & jerk. “I didn’t make any false attempts. And I was happy. Even our coach took us for dinner,” Tumukunde told Score.
Sacrifice
Ahead of the Uzani Games in Nairobi in December 2022, his first assignment outside Uganda, Tumukunde worked like horse.
Exhausted, he could not work. “Sometimes, I could take an afternoon nap but woke up at night.” Employers could not tolerate that. He lost jobs; and friends.
But he refused to give up. The sacrifice paid off with a gold medal in the Under 23 category. He snatched 80kg, and lifted 120kg in clean & jerk—his personal best to-date.
“I was very happy,” he remembered with a smile.
Kickboxing was the first sport he tried. His coach Abu Kikenwa told him that with few in his weight, making the national team would be easy. “But I felt the coach was rushing me into the ring.”
And, without assured income, he struggled to pay training fees, about Shs150,000 a month. Then Ivan Masakwe of Kisugu Unified Gym taught him Olympic weightlifting.
“Masakwe is unlike other coaches. So passionate about discovering and grooming talents, he doesn’t even consider money.”
Even when his trainees lack food he bails them out.
Tumukunde did not know that Zubairi Kubo (months after winning bronze at the African Games in Rabat), Lydia Nakidde, Davis Niyoyita, some of the trainees at the gym, competed in international events. “Soon, I wanted to be like them.”
Sticking to choice
When Tumukunde went to Kyadondo Rugby Club, everyone told him how he could make a good prop or hooker. He almost believed them but remembered his gym mates who struggled with rugby injuries and frustrations like his.
“And our coach always advises us that ‘if you do something give it your all.” Tumukunde committed to weightlifting.
“And I always asked God to show me signs of a future in weightlifting. I wanted to be sure I was making the right decision.”
Tumukunde’s father, a thriving businessman in Kampala, died in 2013. Disputes depleted his family’s wealth. Tumukunde’s mother, could not sponsor her first-born beyond O’Level. But she hoped him to find a job and support her in raising his younger siblings. Weightlifting was a bad idea. Lacking funds, Tumukunde also dropped out of the Computer Science course at YMCA.
But excelling in Kenya doubled his addiction to weightlifting. Even his mother slowly started believing in his choice.
His social media family, including athletes abroad, demanded more. “They applaud each progress and push me further. I wanted to lift more weights.”
But Tumukunde’s return to Nairobi, in August, was uneventful. He snatched 100kg but failed the 140kg in clean & jerk.
“I had a shoulder injury and ulcers and I was rushed to hospital.”
He was happy for his club winning trophies but very sad for himself.
Tough balance; we need support
Nearly a month now, Tumukunde has been training with the national team at Kakungulu Memorial School, the first school to embrace weightlifting.
He and Shabra Mutesi will compete at the African Youth & Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt next week.
Under national coach Kassim Nsubuga, the training is going on well. “We see progress in our strength. And the team synergy is growing,” Tumukunde said.
By 8am he is at the school for the session that ends before 1pm. But he cannot wait for lunch to be served at the school.
“I leave a little earlier to hustle for a few bucks for my other needs.”
In the Industrial Area, sometimes, he uses his power to load vehicles or his brains to help people manage their social media channels.
“I need medication, supplements, fruits, etc,” said the man who once sold cosmetics and brokered for Jumia.
He skips the 3pm-4pm training and compensates it with his club coach in Kisugu later in the evening.
Besides the barbells donated by the federation, the school gym lacks basic equipment like treadmills, and equipment for pull-ups and back training. Athletes lack medication, strap belts and training shoes, etc.
Tumukunde, who weighs 135kg, is challenged that his colleague Niyoyita, who weighs 55kg, lifts almost the same weights as he does. “By now I should be snatching at least 160kg and lifting 180kg in clean & jerk. But this hustling we do to survive affects our progress.” Gym and work pull him apart. Sometimes he skips work during training, sometimes he skips training during work. “We need financial support and sponsorship to train consistently.”
Potential opportunities
Tumukunde did not stop gaining weight. But he learnt how to manage it. He used to fall sick often. “But since I started weightlifting, I don’t remember when I last took an injection,” he said, wishing people knew the kind of therapy the sport brings.
“But in Uganda, few people know weightlifting and many don’t care. That’s why we struggle to get even the most basic things.”
He dreams: “I am looking to be an Olympian like Cheptegei but I need support; ike Chinese who earn from endorsements and adverts.”
He also sees direct job opportunities. “If more schools embrace weightlifting, I can be a coach. I can also be a fitness instructor elsewhere, to help others avoid injuries, etc. We can also join the army,” he said.
In the long term, weightlifting can be a tourist attraction: “People visit China to learn from their weightlifters because they excel in international event. We can be like them.”
Mother my strength
“Sometimes I feel so down. Sometimes I get injured but my mother takes care of me; pushes me on.
“And whenever I want to throw the lifts down, I think about her and I carry on. I want to reward her support. She is my strength. The string I hold on when everything is broken.”
Tumukunde uses the internet to learn more about his sport. He recently shared a story on Insidethegames.com, profiling Africa’s problems in weightlifting. It also featured his colleague Niyoyita, the only (gold) medalist from Sub-Saharan Africa at the African Championships in Tunisia in May.
Days to the Cairo assignment, Tumukunde is studying his potential competitors in the +109kg category like Moroccos’ Bilal Bouamr and Tunisia’s Ezzedine Lahamadi Maik.
“I want to know how much they potential to plan my lifts better,” he said.
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