David GOMBE
Friday: 2:30Pm Men’s 10000m Finals
Joshua Cheptegei and his understudy Jacob Kiplimo will both be targeting the 10000m gold on Friday afternoon at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The Ugandan dynamic duo hold the nation’s hopes for glory and will line up for the first athletics medal event.
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Maestro Cheptegei has set world records in the men’s 10000m and 5000m in Valencia and Monaco, won Commonwealth titles, World Cross Country gong and the World title over the 25 lap race.
In October 2020, Cheptegei set a world record time of 26:11.00 in the 10000 meters which improved on Kenenisa Bekele’s 15 year old record by more than 6 seconds.
The global long distance icon will secure his legacy as Uganda’s greatest athlete of all times with the 10000m gold at the Tokyo games having explored the heights at almost every championship.
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Cheptegei will however face stiff competition from his fellow countryman Kiplimo who will also be eyeing nothing less than a podium finish.
At the 2020 Tokyo games, Kiplimo headed into the games as the World number one in the 10000m race after recording the fastest time ever during his Ostrava triumph in Czech Republic this year in May.
The 2020 Half Marathon World Champion finished 26th at the Olympic games in Rio.
Meanwhile, Stephen Kissa is the other Ugandan who will be taking part in the 10000m final on Friday.
Kissa was part of the pace setting team as Cheptegei broke the 5000m and 10000m records in 2020, and he also finished 19th as Uganda won team bronze in the World half marathon at which colleague Jacob Kiplimo took home the gold medal. He is also the 2019 winner of the Zevenheuvelenloop long distance race.
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Kissa finished 4th in 27:34:48 during the 10000 Valencia World Record Day, Estadio de Atletismo del Turia in 2020.
Kiplimo Personal best(s) in all races
3000 m: 7:26.64 NR (Rome 2020)
5000 m: 12:48.63 (Ostrava 2020)
10,000 m: 26:33.93 (Ostrava 2021)
10 km: 26:41a WJR (Madrid 2018)
Half marathon: 57:37 NR (Valencia 2020
Kiplimo at Major Championships
2020 World Half-Marathon Champs: 1st (Men’s 21km)
2019 World Cross-country: 2nd (Senior Men’s 10km)
2018 World Jnr Champs: 2nd (10000m), 6th (5000m)
2018 Commonwealth Games: 4th (10000m)
2017 London World Champs: 22nd (10000m Heats)
2016 Rio Olympics: 26th (5000m Heats)
2016 World Jnr Champs: 3rd (10000m)
Cheptegei’s personal bests in all races
1500m: 3:37.36 (2021) PB
3000m: 7:33.24 (2021) PB
Two miles: 8:07.54 (2019) NR
5000m: 12:35.36 (2020) WR
10000m: 26:11.00 (2020) WR
5km: 12:51 (2020) WR
10km: 26:38 (2019) NR
15km: 41:05 (2018) WB
10M: 45:15 (2018) NR
21km: 59:21 (2020) PB
