Paris, France — Paris 2024 Olympic Games will perhaps go down in history as Joshua Cheptegei's most emotional race, having clinched the 10,000m gold in style by racking up an Olympic Record on his last track event in the 25-lap race.
It's that great occasional that the Ugandan superstar ran his penultimate race on track with the 5000m coming up next here in Paris Olympics before he signs off to embark on a new challenge in the world of Marathon.
The reigning 5000m champion from the Tokyo Olympics, clinched the 10,000m gold at the Paris Olympics on Friday night, further embellishing his impressive career.
Cheptegei chalked up victory with a record-setting Olympic Games time of 26:43.14 following a breathtaking closing lap.
Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi, who came fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and last year's World Championships, racked up his maiden global medal, a silver retuning 26:43.44.
The men's 10,000m final treated spectators to some exhilarating displays, with the top six finishing within one second of each other, adding the much-needed zest to the race.
Commenting about his fairy-tale Olympic record and gold for his country Uganda, Cheptegei said: "For me I knew the Olympics was going to be very fast. I went and prepared for it. Thank God it went well."
The Ugandan will be attempting a double when he takes part in the 5000m. Asked about his expectations in the race, Cheptegei added: "They always say that you don't talk much about your future because you didn't know what lies ahead."
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He added, "What is more important for now is to celebrate the victory, thank God and recover. For me and my country, of course, it's amazing, and for the fans around the world; and for the young people around the globe who are aspiring to become sure champions, this is the best inspiration for them."
He went on: "Young people should know that they can still achieve their dreams no matter what; you must not sit back and say that you are grounded, believe in yourself and your God. You have to be focused."
And about the race, Cheptegei added: "The last 3000m was where the victory was; today was anybody's race. I wanted to be almost at the front because if you were not there it's going to be a different story. Like I said, this is my last Olympics on the track. I still have to continue finding challenges especially in marathon," the 27-year-old, who draws inspiration from Kenya's legend Eliud Kipchoge remarked.
Men's 10000m Final Top 10 Results
1 Joshua CHEPTEGEI UGA 26:43.14 OR
2 Berihu AREGAWI ETH 26:43.44
3 Grant FISHER USA 26:43.46 SB
4 Mohammed AHMED CAN 26:43.79 SB
5 Benard KIBET KEN 26:43.98 PB
6 Yomif KEJELCHA ETH 26:44.02
7 Selemon BAREGA ETH 26:44.48
8 Jacob KIPLIMO UGA 26:46.39 SB
9 Thierry NDIKUMWENAYO ESP 26:49.49 NR
10 Adriaan WILDSCHUTT RSA 26:50.64 NR
-Alex Isaboke is reporting from Paris, France -
