Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei won the men’s 10,000m title at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Friday (2), finally earning the sport’s highest honour at his favoured distance.
The world record-holder had won the past three world titles over 10,000m, but wound up with silver at the last Games, beaten by Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega.
This time, however, he timed his race to perfection and hit the front with less than 600 metres to go before sprinting to glory on the final lap, winning in an Olympic record of 26:43.14 breaking Kenenisa Bekele’s 27:01.17 set in Beijing 2008.
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi took silver in 26:43.44 and USA’s Grant Fisher earned bronze in 26:43.66.
It was a thrilling race in the Stade de France, one which the Ethiopian trio of Aregawi, Yomif Kejelcha and Selemon Barega, the defending champion, tried their best to dictate.
Ultimately, though, they had to settle for just one medal in the form of Aregawi’s silver while Fisher claimed bronze.
Jimmy Gressier, much to the delight of the home fans, led for the first two laps, but Barega then moved to the front and led through 1000m in 2:43.1 with the field already somewhat strung out.
Barega’s teammate Kejelcha strode to the front one lap later and Aregawi slotted into third, creating an Ethiopian 1-2-3 formation. At 2000m, reached in 5:22.7, they were comfortably on course to break Bekele’s Olympic record.
At this point, Cheptegei was near the back of the lead pack, while his teammate Jacob Kiplimo, the Commonwealth champion, was in the middle.
Barega – moving with intent as though it was part of a premeditated plan – returned to the lead at 3000m, reached in 8:02.00, putting them on course to finish inside 26:50. Fisher was in fourth, just ahead of Kiplimo and Gressier.
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Kejelcha and Aregawi both took turns in the lead in the next two kilometres with half way being reached in 13:23.2. Aregawi led at that point from Kejelcha, Fisher and Kenya’s Benard Kibet.
The top 20 men were operating inside Olympic record pace; Cheptegei, sitting in 15th, did not care for records, though.
With 10 laps to go, Kejelcha tried to make another break, but Canada’s Moh Ahmed covered it, as Kibet and South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt also moved up through the pack.
With 21 minutes on the clock, Cheptegei made his presence known. He didn’t go right to the front, but moved near enough so as to let his opponents know that he was a threat. Following a slightly slower kilometre of 2:48, the field had bunched up slightly with 8000m being reached in 21:33.5.
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Aregawi went back into the lead after 23 minutes with Ahmed, Kejelcha and Fisher still near the front of the pack. With two laps to go, twelve men remained in contention in the lead group.
Cheptegei, his motivation clear with every stride, hit the front with less than 600 metres to go and started to wind up the pace. Aregawi, Ahmed, Fisher, Kejelcha and Kiplimo all tried their best to cover his move. As the finishing speed moved up another notch in the final 400 metres, eight men were still in contention.
The Ugandan was away and clear with Fisher a few strides behind. Aregawi came sprinting down the home straight and caught Fisher in the closing stages to claim silver. There was no catching Cheptegei, though, as he crossed the line in an Olympic record of 26:43.14.
Joshua Cheptegei
“I can’t describe the feeling,” said Cheptegei. “I’ve wanted this for a long time. When I took silver in Tokyo, I was disappointed. I wanted just to win the 10,000m.
“It’s the dream of young people to achieve what they want to achieve in life. Barely 16 years ago when I was watching the great Kenenisa Bekele win in Beijing, it was something that grew in my heart. I said, one day, one time, I want to be Olympic champion.”
Reporting by World Athletics