The 27-year-old Ugandan runner Joshua Cheptegei claimed his second Olympic gold medal after winning the men’s 10,000m event by setting up a new Olympic record.
Paris 2024 Olympics: Joshua Cheptegei became the first athlete to complete the men's 10,000m event in the Olympics in below 27 minutes
The three-time world champion and world record holder Joshua Cheptegei clocked 26 minutes and 43.14 seconds to win the men’s 10000m gold medal on Friday (2nd August) night. It was a new Olympic record, breaking the previous record of 27:01.17 set by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele in Beijing 2008.
Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi finished second (26:43.44) to clinch the silver medal, and American Grant Fisher claimed the bronze medal by clocking in 26:43.46. It was the first time an American won a medal in the men’s 10,000m event since Galen Rupp's silver at the London 2012 Olympics.
Defending champion Ethiopian Selemon Barega finished in seventh place after clocking 26:44.48.
Joshua Cheptegei secured Uganda's fifth Olympic gold medal
It was the fifth Olympic gold medal for Uganda, as the country has won all its Olympic gold medals in athletics. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Cheptegei won the silver medal in the men’s 10,000m event and his first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 5,000m event.
After winning his second Olympic gold medal, Cheptegei said, “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.”
The men’s 10,000m gold medal was the first medal for Uganda at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
