COURTESY PHOTO
By Nalubega Justine | August 3, 2024
Joshua Cheptegei defied the odds and etched his name in Olympic history by claiming the gold medal in the Men’s 10,000m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. His victory not only marked Uganda's first medal at these games but also set a new Olympic record with a time of 26:43.14, the fastest ever recorded in Olympic history.
In a dramatic final lap, Cheptegei overtook Selemon Barega of Ethiopia, the defending champion, securing his place at the top of the podium. This triumph also makes Cheptegei the first Ugandan athlete to win two Olympic gold medals.
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi secured the silver medal with a close time of 26:43.44, while USA's Grant Fisher claimed the bronze, narrowly beating Canada's Mohammed Ahmed.
With Cheptegei’s victory, Uganda ascended to 30th place on the Olympic medal table, among the 50 countries that have earned medals so far.
Cheptegei previously achieved gold in the 5,000m and silver in the 10,000m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He is also the world record holder in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events and has been crowned World Champion in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Looking ahead, Cheptegei has his sights set on another potential gold in the Men’s 5,000m next week, an event in which he triumphed at the 2021 Olympics.
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