Cheptegei completes the dream, Uganda gets ready to follow suit
The African nation’s distance running pioneer is both an inspiration and facilitator for prospective champions
New Delhi: As Joshua Cheptegei made his way back to the room at the Games Village, his face was plastered with a gentle smile. It was dark and the street lights were on but perhaps they didn’t need to be. The smile could have lit up the world. He had his coach for company, there were no TV cameras or media persons around, just a phone recording him walking back.
A few Ugandan athletes cheered him on as he passed them, a few hugs were exchanged but it all felt peaceful and calm. The tension had ebbed out of his body. This was bliss, but coming into Paris he was on the edge.
“I’m a three-time world champion and I have an Olympic silver. I needed an Olympic title on the track, in the 10,000m, to be complete,” said Cheptegei, 27, on Friday.
The path to finding completeness wasn’t easy. The 10,000m was unfinished business for him — he was crowned world champion at the distance in 2019, 2022 and 2023 — but at the Olympics, he had lost the gold in Tokyo, beaten by Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega.
“When I took silver in Tokyo (2020), I was disappointed. I wanted just to win the 10,000m.”
And he planned for it. He was very selective with his competitions, avoiding the 10,000m this season entirely and taking a complete break after May 30. He wanted to be fit. He wanted to be well rested.
The Ethiopians had a plan too; a plan to deny Cheptegei, who is capable of running a blistering 53-second finishing lap. Barega was joined by two other very talented countrymen — the lanky Yomif Kejelcha and Berihu Aregawi — in the final and they come into the race knowing that they couldn’t beat his finish, so they wanted to finish him off before that.
The Ethiopians went out fast, for a while at world record pace, stretching the field and making Cheptegei, who likes being a front-runner, sit in the middle of the pack. Team tactics were on full display with each Ethiopian taking turns at the head of the pack.
They wanted to ensure that the pace didn’t drop but some athletes did. France’s Yann Schrub couldn’t match the tempo and just seemed to collapse. The Ethiopians had ensured only the very best would remain and at the same time they had hoped it would take something out of Cheptegei.
But the Ugandan stayed calm, safe in the knowledge that his superior speed would eventually carry him through. Just as it had in the 2023 World Championships too — last lap 53.46secs. 2022, last lap 53.42secs. 2019, last lap 55.39secs. For context, India’s 400m record is 45.21. But Cheptegei has been running 53secs after having already run 9,600m.
Just as the bell for the last lap was rung, Cheptegei set off. A bit too early, some wondered, but he had more than enough in the tank to seal a very special triumph. He finished in 26:43.14, an Olympic record, for the gold medal. It was a quick race by any standard — the first 13 finishers all came in under the previous Olympic record which had been set in 2008.
“It’s the dream of young people to achieve what they want to achieve in life,” said Cheptegei. “I really want to thank God, because barely 16 years ago when I was watching the great Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) win in Beijing (2008 Olympics), it was something that grew in my heart. I said, one day, one time, I want to be Olympic champion.”
This means a lot to him but perhaps it means just as much to the land-locked Uganda. They have a population of just over 5 crore and 75 percent of the population still lives under the poverty line.
Cheptegei, who hails from Uganda’s Kapchorwa district, has led a running renaissance in his country. The hilly terrain around his own town means their training sessions are not as long as others but there is great variation. Jacob Kiplimo, Halimah Nakaayi and Peruth Chemutai are all names to be reckoned with on the distance running circuit, but perhaps the greatest impact of this Olympic gold will be felt down the line.
“The young boys are watching in Uganda,” said Cheptegei when asked what message he has for upcoming athletes back home. “You can achieve it, believe in yourself because when you don’t believe in yourself, you can’t make it in life.”
India has seen the impact that Neeraj Chopra has had, especially in the athletics arena. Cheptegei’s is much greater. Ever since he burst onto the scene at the 2014 World U20 Athletics Championships in Oregon, he has become a household name back home; and with every medal, his popularity surges.
It means his advice and methods are taken even more seriously. He has already built his own training centre and is helping a group of young athletes to achieve the high standards needed to find success at the world stage.
The team runs mostly on dirt trails, moving up the hills to train at altitude (1800m) and then back to the plateau for fast sessions. It is the variation that made the difference for Cheptegei and he hopes it will do the same for the youngsters.
And if Cheptegei does manage to do the 10,000-5,000m double on August 10, the party in Kampala and Kapchorwa will have a special feel to it. He’ll probably go all in on marathons after this but there will be no lingering feels.
If nothing else, it will, as Cheptegei hopes, feel complete.