By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
TOKYO JAPAN
“…. came here to become an Olympic champion and my dream has been fulfilled today in a beautiful evening,” Cheptegei said.
Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda is a world record holder after he has won the gold medal in the men’s 5,000-meter race at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium a week after earning silver in the 10,000m at the Tokyo Games.
Chepetgei was in the leading pack for most of the race and won in 12 minutes, 58.15 seconds against Canadian Mohammed Ahmed who surged into second place to get the silver medal in 12:58.61 and Paul Chelimo of the United States who picked up bronze in 12:59.05.
Chelimo was a silver medalist in the 5,000 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He dived across the line to edge Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli of Kenya.
Cheptegei, with a time of 12 minutes, 58.15, became the first Ugandan to win the event as he bagged the Olympic gold that has eluded him for so long.
“It’s really a great moment,” the Ugandan hero said after the race. “I made a small mistake and I was regretting [having] to become a silver medallist. I came here to become an Olympic champion and my dream has been fulfilled today in a beautiful evening,”
“I knew a lot of guys were strong so I had to take them through the lap and whoever was the strongest in the mind [would win],” the Olympic champions and 5000m world record holder added. “I knew I was strong in the mind because I broke a couple of world records.”
Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) was in front of the pack early, but his countryman Cheptegei took over the front spot midway through the race and didn’t let go of it until a six-man pack pushed ahead of the rest to set-up the final push. Cheptegei sealed the gold with a ferocious charge over the last section, with Ahmed nipping second.
The American Chelimo, with his second medal in as many Games, nearly fell at the line to secure bronze in front of Kipkorir Kimeli of Kenya.
“I’m very excited,” said Chelimo who adds the Tokyo bronze to his silver from Rio in 2016. “It’s been a tough year and I have come out and run some pretty good times. It’s amazing. I always believe in one thing – go hard or suffer for the rest of your life.”
“I knew it was going to be tough, that there was going to be a lot of bumping” the Kenyan-born American went on. “That’s part of the game and I tried to run a really smart race to get into the medals.”
In related news, Winnie Nanyondo, Ugandan has become the 7th in 3:59:80 in the women’s 1500m finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon is the gold winner for this race, also with a 3:53.11 new world record.
