Julius Achon
(born 12 December 1976) is a
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
n retired middle-distance runner who specialised in the
800 metres
The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...
and
1500 metres
The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...
. Achon once held the 800m American Collegiate in-season Record with a time of 1:44.55 set in 1996 as a student at
George Mason University
George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...
. He competed in both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.
He is also the founder of the Achon Uganda Children's Fund, based in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
which opened a medical center in Northern Uganda in 2012. Achon currently serves as a Member of the Ugandan Parliament, representing Otuke County in Northern Uganda.
Achon's life story is chronicled in the book ''The Boy Who Runs,'' by John Brant.
Early life
![Ugandan districts affected by Lords Resistance Army](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Ugandan_districts_affected_by_Lords_Resistance_Army.png)
At the age of 10, Achon began to run, inspired by stories of
John Akii-Bua
John Akii-Bua (3 December 1949 – 20 June 1997) was a Ugandan hurdler and the first Olympic champion from his country Uganda and Africa at large. In 1986, he was a recipient of the Silver Olympic Order.
Biography
Akii-Bua was raised in a f ...
, the Ugandan 400m hurdler who won Olympic gold in 1972. When he was 12, Achon was abducted by the
Lord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a rebel group and heterodox Christian group which operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Co ...
, which was waging a civil war, and taken to a camp 100 miles away. He escaped and a year later entered and won his first official race, which earned him a place at the district championships in
Lira
Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...
. To get to the stadium 42 miles away, Achon had to run for six hours. The following day he won the 800m, 1500m and 3000m.
His success at the district championships gave him a place at the national championships, where he won the 1500m in 4:09.52, watched by Christopher Banage Mugisha. He offered Achon a scholarship to an elite government-aided school in
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
, which Achon took up.
Athletic achievements
At the
1994 World Junior Championships, Achon became the first Ugandan to win gold,
running the 1500m in 3:39.78. Victory was followed by offers of scholarships from a number of US colleges and he chose George Mason University. In 1996 he won the 800m
NCAA title, setting a new US college record of 1:44.55. Later in the year, he ran in the heats of the 1500m at the
Atlanta Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
,
serving as captain of the Ugandan Olympic team.
Achon went on to compete at the
2000 Sydney Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
, where he reached the semifinal of the 1500m but did not participate in the
Athens Games after his mother was killed by the LRA.
A car crash in May 2007 put an end to his running career.
He had been intending to run the 5000m at the Ugandan National Athletics Championships in July 2007.
Coaching career
In 2003, John Cook, who coached Achon at George Mason, offered him a post as assistant coach
with
Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, whe ...
's
Nike Oregon Project
The Nike Oregon Project was a group created by the American corporation Nike, established in Beaverton, Oregon in 2001. The team folded on October 10, 2019 after an investigation resulted in a four-year ban of longtime coach Alberto Salazar.
Fa ...
, pacing elite runners such as
Galen Rupp
Galen Rupp (born May 8, 1986) is an American long-distance runner. He competed in the Summer Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2021 in Tokyo. He won the silver medal in the men's 10,000-meter run in Lon ...
, who competed at the
Beijing Olympics.
In 2010, budget cuts at Nike meant Achon lost his job but he began working part-time at the Nike store on campus instead.
Achon Uganda Children's Fund
Achon started providing for children orphaned by the civil war in Uganda in 2003 when he discovered 11 orphans sheltering under a bus. He took them to his parents' home near Lira, where his father agreed to let them stay, while Achon sent money back from Portugal, where he was living and training. It only required $100 per month to feed them all.
In 2007, Achon met Jim Fee in Portland, Oregon; together they established the non-profit organization
Achon Uganda Children's Fund,
with Fee serving as an unpaid advisor.
The purpose of the organization is to improve access to health care, clean water and education.
Fee and Achon began fundraising to build a clinic in Awake
to treat residents suffering from malaria and other illnesses.
The Kristina Health Centre (KHC), named after his mother, opened in August 2012 and employs 12 staff.
Fee died in 2013 from injuries suffered in a bicycle accident; today his wife Angela serves as AUCF's Executive Director, supported by an all-volunteer staff and board.
As of August 2018, the clinic treats over 300 patients per month, treating for injuries and various illnesses. KHC also conducts community outreach, teaching local residents about hygiene and health.
The organization also continues to provide for the remaining children who have not yet aged out of the orphanage's services.
Additionally, "AUCF" has joined with Australian organizatio
Love Mercyto support a microfinance program known as "Cents For Seeds".
Parliament
In February 2016, Achon was elected to the Ugandan Parliament, serving as Minister representing his home district of Otuke County.
References
External links
*
Achon Uganda Children's Fund*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achon, Julius
1976 births
Living people
Ugandan male middle-distance runners
Olympic athletes for Uganda
Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games competitors for Uganda
World Athletics Championships athletes for Uganda
George Mason University alumni
George Mason Patriots men's track and field athletes
African Games bronze medalists for Uganda
African Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 All-Africa Games
National Resistance Movement politicians
Members of the Parliament of Uganda