Cheptegei who was forced to settle for silver in the 10,000m, has today made amends by winning the shorter distance in 12:58.15, less than half a second slower than the Olympic record that was set by Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele in 2008 Summer Olympics.
The athlete has produced a 55-second final lap to win the race ahead of Canada’s Mohammad Ahmed and USA’s Paul Chelimo adding the Olympic 5000m title to his world record.
The 24-year-old’s win brings Uganda’s tally at the games to four, with two gold – the other being won by Peruth Chemutai, one silver, and one bronze.
This win places Uganda in the 30th position on the global chart in the Tokyo Olympics.
