All eyes will be on former champion Joshua Cheptegei when he steps onto the track on Sunday, August 20 at the ongoing 2023 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungry.
Indeed, Cheptegei, the reigning Olympic champion and 2019 world champion, is widely expected to win Team Uganda’s first medal from the event in Budapest when he competes in the men’s 10,000m final.
In Sunday’s race, Cheptegei will be supported by compatriots Rogers Kibet and Joel Ayeko, who are expected to set the pace for the former world champion in the absence of Jacob Kiplimo.
Kiplimo withdrew from the championships in Budapest after sustaining an injury recently.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat and Stella Chesang put on their season best in the women’s 10,000m final but could not match the Ethiopian trio of Gudaf Tsegay, Letesenbet Gidey and Ejgayehu Taye who swept the gold, silver and bronze medals respectively.
Chelangat finished the race in tenth position after clocking 31 minutes 40.04 seconds, which is her season’s best time thus far.
Her compatriot Chesang also put on her season best time of 32 minutes 38.90 seconds to settle for sixteenth position out of 21 finishers.