OLYMPICS: Kiplimo, Cheptegei 1-2 finish in the making tonight

Paris, France | THE INDEPENDENT | While all eyes will be on world record holder Joshua Cheptegei and defending champion Selemon Barega, world cross country champion Jacob Kiplimo and Yomif Kajelcha who has run fastest this season, will sure make tonight’s 10,000m final an epic battle.

The first day of in-stadium athletics action is set to reach a thrilling crescendo at 10.20pm with the first track final and gold of the Games.

Cheptegei, seeking the gold that eluded him at the last Olympics, looks set to become the first Ugandan to grab three medals when he takes on another crop of world beaters in the final. He is the world record-holder, gold medallist at the 2019, 2022 and 2023 World Championships and Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo.

Minister of State for Sports Peter Ogwang this week announced hefty cash prizes for medal winners when he visited the team at the Games Village.

” Gold medal winners will bag Shs 100 million each, silver medal winners Shs 50m and bronze medallists Shs 30m,” he announced.

At the last Olympics, Uganda returned with two gold, a silver and bronze medal.

Cheptegei optimistic

All year,  Uganda’s leading athlete Cheptegei has said that Uganda has what it takes to continue producing more world stars.

“Me and Jacob Kiplimo have dominated the world scene for some time and this has motivated many youngsters to keep working hard so that they can achieve it at the big stage. I see the future looks very bright for Uganda to have several athletes dominating at the world stage,” added the star athlete.

Cheptegei won 5,000m gold medal and a silver in 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics, while Kiplimo took a bronze in 10,000m at the same event.

“We continue to show a good example that hard work pays off and we also motivate the younger athletes so that they keep working hard to be able to achieve it. We are lucky that there is now a good training place in Kapchorwa, while the Uganda Athletics Federation is working hard to see that it has a good atmosphere to keep improving,” he added.

Besides Cheptegei and Kiplimo, Uganda has also produced top athletes in the last 10 years, like London Olympic marathon gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich, Moses Kipsiro, Peruth Chemutai and Halimah Nakaayi.

Cheptegei and Kiplimo are some of Uganda’s top medal prospects at the Paris Olympics from July 26 to August 11. ■

List of medalists of previous Ugandan medalists