Joshua Cheptegei Triumphs in Olympic 10,000m, Sets New Record
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei secured the gold medal in the men’s 10,000 meters at the Olympic Games held at the Stade de France on Friday. Cheptegei, who is a three-time world champion and the current world record holder, clocked an Olympic record time of 26 minutes 43.14 seconds.
Cheptegei’s performance broke the previous Olympic record of 27:07.17 set by Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele during the 2008 Beijing Games. The race featured a competitive field, with Cheptegei holding off strong challenges from Ethiopian runners.
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi finished in second place with a time of 26:43.44, narrowly edging out American Grant Fisher, who took third. Fisher’s bronze medal marked the first time the United States has medaled in the 10,000 meters since 1968.
The race saw early tactical moves as defending champion Selemon Barega and Ethiopian teammate Yomif Kejelcha surged ahead after just two laps, causing the field to split. Despite the early acceleration, all runners maintained their positions.
As the race progressed, Aregawi and Kejelcha continued to control the pace in front of a crowd of 69,000 spectators at the Stade de France. Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo, also from Uganda, had to adjust their strategies when Martin Magengo Kiprotich fell behind early.
Aregawi and Kejelcha increased the pace again at the halfway point, reducing the main pack to 15 runners. Barega, along with Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed and Kenya’s Benard Kibet, maintained a strong position as the race neared its final laps.
In the last kilometer, Aregawi took the lead, setting the stage for a dramatic finish. As the bell rang for the final 400 meters, Cheptegei made a decisive move to the front. Ahmed followed closely, while Fisher made a strong recovery to secure the bronze medal.
Barega finished in seventh place with a time of 26:44.48, just behind Kejelcha, who took sixth. Ahmed secured fourth place, and Kibet rounded out the top five.
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