Cheptegei seeks comeback at Eugene Diamond League
KAMPALA.
March 26, 2017 is a day that belonged to Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei for both good and bad.
Teenager Kiplimo became the first Ugandan to scoop individual gold when he won the junior men’s 8km race at the World Cross-country Championships in Kololo that day. Nearly an hour after, Cheptegei was destined for similar glory in the senior men’s 10km race but he lost his 200m lead for his friend Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor to retain his title.
The 20-year-old was later the topic, arousing banter of all sorts on social media after he finished a distant 30th in weird style. A distraught Cheptegei later said he had suffered a stitch due his blistering pace.
For all the trash talking and feedback, he promised a comeback
“I am so grateful for your genuine and kind support. As of now am healthy and ready to move,” the athlete posted via his Twitter handle @joshuacheptege1 days later.
“The fall of man is not his end. He will rise up again more stronger.” he posted on his Facebook timeline.
Cheptegei hopes to deliver a comeback in his first international outing since when he lines-up for the 5000m race at the Eugene Diamond League (DL) tonight at the Hayward Field in Oregon, USA.
“Yes, I am ready,” he told SCORE via phone from USA. This is his fourth time in Oregon having won 10000m gold there at the 2014 World Junior Championships.
He also qualified for the 2015 Beijing World Championships (10000m) and, came eighth in the 5000m at last year’s Eugene DL.
Alongside Kiplimo, the pair seek to beat the qualification standard of 13:22.60 to qualify for the London Worlds due August.
Both Cheptegei (13:00.60) and Kiplimo (13:19.14) have personal bests (PB) below this. But they are in a tough elite field of 29 runners. “There are very many strong people there,” said the 2016 World junior bronze medalist Kiplimo who warmed up with a new PB of 7:43.73 over the 3000m at the Doha DL in Qatar early this month.
“The position at the end of the race would be important,” Cheptegei’s manager Jurrie van der Velden stated.
The Ugandan duo are up against stars like Briton Mo Farah who boasts of four Olympic and five World Championship golds, Olympic 5000m silver medalist American Paul Chelimo, Kamworor as well as Ethiopian pair Yomif Kejelcha and Hagos Gebrhiwet.
“I mean this field has the quality of a World champ or Olympic final! We know from training that a PB would be possible. But entirely depends on how the race will unfold.” Jurrie added about Cheptegei.
CHEPTEGEI AT A GLANCE
Date of birth: September 12, 1996
Major Races: 5000m, 10000m
Personal Bests: 5000m (13.00.60), 10000m (27:27.57)
KIPLIMO AT A GLANCE
Full name: Jacob Kiplimo
Date of Birth: November 14, 2000
Club: Arua
Personal Bests: 5000m (13:19.54), 10000m (27:26.68)
