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By Erik van Leeuwen, attribution: Erik van Leeuwen (source: Wikipedia). – www.erki.nl, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34304895 |
Head of the African Office
Boxscore: NAIROBI, Kenya -October 8, 2020 – Ugandan record-breaking athlete Joshua Cheptegei has done it again in Valencia, where he broke the world record of 10,000 meters on the track to set a time of 26:11.
The previous record set by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia in 2005 had stood for 15 years until Wednesday, when Cheptegei managed to knock him down and seal his authority as the King of long and medium distance racing.
The 24-year-old Ugandan is the most successful long-distance athlete in recent years, having broken three world records.
Cheptegei’s rise to stardom has been highlighted by Boxscore, beginning in 2017 when he won the silver medal at the London world championships.
His first world record came in 2018 when he set a new world record for the 15km road race.
In August this year, the Ugandan set another world record previously held by Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele – the 5000 meter world record at 12:35:36, cutting Bekele’s record by more than 2 seconds. That record had been held for 16 years.
Cheptegei is the 10th athlete to hold the 10,000m world record in the history of that race.
Other athletes from Africa who have previously held the 10,000m world record include Henry Rono of Kenya (1978-1982), Haile Gebrsekassie of Ethiopia (1994-2004) and Kenenisa Bekele (2004-2020).
Shortly after Cheptegei’s record-breaking performance in Valencia, Ugandans took to the internet to express their national pride for their hero.
Joshua’s performance should give his competitors notice before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
