Gold again! Cheptegei retains 10,000m title at World Athletics Championships
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei successfully defended his title when he fashionably won the men's world 10,000m title in Oregon, on Sunday.
Running at the Hawyard Field in Eugene in the US, Cheptegei led his colleagues for most of the race before finishing off the race with a time of 27:27:43 to beat Kenya’s Stanley Waithaka Mburu who posted a time of 27:27:90.
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Another Ugandan, Jacob Kiplimo settled for bronze after posting a time of 27:27:93 to beat Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega as Ugandan flags dominated the race both at the truck and in the stands.
"I did not aim to run really fast because of the heat, the sun was very strong. The conditions were kind of challenging.
"You just have to enjoy the race and see how it is going. Then it was going good. I knew that if I get into the last fight, I can control it and I could speed it up. I was able to get stronger and keep it faster and faster,” Cheptegei said.
By winning in Oregon, the 25 year old fastest man in history at 5000m and 10,000m became the fourth back to back world 10,000m champion.
Others who have reached the same feat before include Ethiopians Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele as well as Britain’s Mo Fara.
