Julius Bua Achon (born 12 December 1976) is a

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

n retired middle-distance runner who specialised in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, 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 a ...

and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run 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 Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

. 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 (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

. 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 the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

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

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. In 1986, he was a recipient of the Silver Olympic Order. Biography Akii-Bua was raised in a family of 43 child ...

, 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) is a Christian extremist organization operating in Central Africa and East Africa. Its origins were in the War in Uganda (1986–1994), Ugandan insurgency (1986–1994) against Yoweri Museveni, during which Jo ...

, 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 Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

. 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 city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, 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, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

, 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, where ...

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. Fac ...

, 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 meters in London and ...

, who competed at the

Beijing Olympics Beijing Olympics may refer to: * 2008 Summer Olympics, Games of the XXIX Olympiad * 2022 Winter Olympics, XXIV Winter Olympic Games See also * Beijing Paralympics (disambiguation) * Beijing (disambiguation) Beijing, literally "northern capital" ...

. 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 Mercy
to support a microfinance program known as "Cents For Seeds".

Parliament

Achon was elected to the Ugandan Parliament, representing Otuke County in the

2016 Ugandan general election General elections were held in Uganda on 18 February 2016 to elect the President and Parliament. Polling day was declared a national holiday. Presidential candidates included incumbent Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, Kizza Besigye, who had ...

. He was reelected in the

2021 Ugandan general election General elections were held in Uganda on 14 January 2021 to elect the President and the Parliament. The Electoral Commission announced Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, the incumbent ruling since 1986, as the winner with 59% of the vote, alth ...

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 athletes 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 Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 All-Africa Games National Resistance Movement politicians NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Ugandan sportsperson-politicians Members of the 10th Parliament of Uganda Members of the 11th Parliament of Uganda African Games bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)