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✳ Monaco 5k race – 11.45am
There is no doubt Joshua Cheptegei loves Monaco. The Ugandan world long distance champion will today start his 2021 season, with a 5km road race – in Monaco.
Monaco was the venue of two historic runs for the 24-year-old in 2020, a year mainly lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his two visits last year, he set the world 5K record in February before world travel and sport was shutdown because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Cheptegei will today start his preparation for the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games as he usually does every year – with a road run.
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The Monaco 5k Herculis Run returns in the middle of the ongoing indoor track season and again all eyes will be on Cheptegei.
After starting his season with a road race new world best of 12:51 in Monaco, he returned to action later in the year to shatter two track records, the 5000m and 10,000m.
He set a new 5,000m world record of 12:35.36 also in Monaco, before a staggering 26:11.00 in Valencia.
Cheptegei is only the tenth man in history to hold the 5,000 m and 10,000 m world records concurrently. He is also the reigning World cross country champion.
Teenager Kiplangat, veteran Chemutai win in Tororo
The year’s edition of the national cross country championship is done, and the winners are Hosea Kiplangat and Peruth Chemutai.
In the highly competitive championship, Uganda’s Long distance runner Kiplangat against all odds managed to hit the finishing point before any other 2:14:0 ahead of Kusuro Geoffrey who came second with 29:15:1 and Chibet Samuel with 29:18:5 in Tororo on Saturday.
In the absence of now world athletics icon Cheptegei who opted for Monaco run, Kiplangat who is only 19 years old stood boldly and beat prominent athletes like Ayeko Joel who was the 5th in the previous edition of the championship in 2019.
This has come after his promising performance in the last edition of the National cross country in 2019 where he won the men’s team event with 23:31 beating his biggest rival Dan Chebet who came second clocking 23:42, and Matthew Chepkurui 23:42.
Horsea Kiplangat, 19 usually runs 5,000m/10,000m, recently represented Uganda in IAAF World U18 Championships running the 1500m where he came fourth with 3:56:44 in a race that was won by Kenya’s Dominic Kipkemboi’s who finished first in 3:48:77 with Algerian Oussama Cherrad and Abebe Dessassa from Ethiopia finishing 3rd and 4th respectively.
Chemutai Peruth was a comfortable winner of the senior women’s race. The 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games silver medalist finished at 33:35:1 beating Chemutai Doreen who came second 33:43:4 and Chesang Doreen with 33:44:4.
Peruth is steeplechase runner who has also represented Uganda in various championships. She finished in 7th place in the final of the women’s 3000 metres steeplechase event at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland. She also claimed a notable Silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2018 World Junior Championships. In 2019, she competed in the senior women’s race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark and finished in 5th place.
Yeko Dismas won the Junior men race clocking 23:39:2 beating Kibet Rodgers who came second 23:43:5
Chesang Prisca Chamweno won the junior women race with 20:08:3 beating Chebet Scarlett at20:47:3.
The 2021 edition of the National cross country Championship was the 1st championship to be successfully organized on the Uganda Athletics Federation after failure of two attempts to organize the first and second national trails as the Federation failed to secure a hosting venue.
Next step is to select those who will represent Uganda in Africa Cross Country Championship.
Leading results
Senior men
Kiplangat Hosea 2:14:0
Kusuro Geoffrey 29:15:1
Chibet Samuel 29:18:5.
Ayeko Joel 29: 23: 3
Senior women Chemutai Peruth 33:35:1
Chemutai Doreen 33:43:4
Chesang Doreen 33:44:4
Chelangat Mercyline 34:02:9
Chebet Racheal Zena 34:16:2
Junior men (8km)
Yeko Dismas 23:39:2
Kibet Rodgers 23:43:5
Chemutai Leornard 23:44:7
Kiplangat Joel 23: 59:2
Kiprotich Martin 24:00:6
Junior women (6km)
Chesang Prisca Chamweno 20:08:3
Chebet Scarlett 20:47:3
Chekwemoi Teddy Simon 20:58:4
Chemutai Martha 21:09:9
Chepkwemoi Loice 21:18:0
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