Cheptegei, Kiplimo Going For Medals in Men’s 10,000m Final

Summary:

Event; Men’s 10,000m final
Ugandans: Joshua Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo & Martin Kiprotich
Date: Friday, August 2
Time: 10:20pm

Uganda eagerly anticipates its first medals as the Men’s 10,000m final approaches on Friday at the ongoing Olympics in Paris.

The nation’s hopes rest on Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo, both entered in the event, alongside their teammate Martin Kiprotich.

At the previous Olympics in Tokyo, Cheptegei and Kiplimo secured silver and bronze respectively in this event.

But there were mixed emotions as one of the two missed out on Gold!

The duo will strive to improve on their previous success as they hope to return on the podium.

However, their path to victory won’t be easy. Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, who beat them to gold in Tokyo with a time of 27:43.22, is also entered for the event.

The Ethiopian team also has Yomif Kejelcha, the season’s fastest at 26:31.01, and Berihu Aregawi, who narrowly missed a medal in Tokyo by just 2.28 seconds in fourth.

Uganda’s strategy involves teamwork, with Martin Kiprotich expected to pace the race similarly to how Stephen Kissa did in Tokyo.

This approach aims to set up Cheptegei and Kiplimo for a strong finish, avoiding the mistakes of the final lap that cost them gold in the previous Games.

The Kenyan contingent, featuring Daniel Mateiko, world road 5km bronze medallist Nicholas Kipkorir, and Bernard Kibet, Canada’s Mohammad Ahmed and Grant Fischer of the United States are the other key competitors.

Cheptegei has not raced in a 10,000m event this year. He has raced sparingly, with his last race on May 30 in 5000m where he finished a disappointing ninth in the 5000m at the Bislett Games (Oslo Diamond League), the same race Kiplimo came third.

Cheptegei, a world record holder in the 10,000m and 5000m, has claimed the 10,000m gold at the World Championships three times.

Yet, Olympic gold in this event has eluded him. As he transitions his career focus to road racing, securing this medal would be a fitting end to his illustrious track career.