Cheptegei seeks to improve at Eugene Diamond League

Cheptegei will be in the fray in Eugene tonight. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

KAMPALA. One of Joshua Cheptegei’s major breakouts was winning the IAAF World Junior Championships 10,000m gold at the Hayward Field in Eugene, USA on July 22, 2014.
When he returned to the same venue last year, Cheptegei came a distant eighth but set a new Personal Best (PB) of 27:27.57 in the 25-lap race at the Eugene Diamond League (DL). The Ugandan long distance runner is back for more in America. Tonight, he will be part of a strong 24-man field for the 5,000m race at Eugene DL.

It is Cheptegei’s second 12-and-a-half-lap race of the season following a second-place finish at the Shanghai DL a fortnight ago. While in Asia, he set a new PB of 13:00.60 while finishing second. That performance also saw him qualify to attempt a 5,000m and 10,000m double at the Olympic Games due August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cheptegei, who has earned podium finishes in his races of the season thus far expects even better tonight. “In Shanghai, I thought I would do a sub-12:00.00,” he said. “I feel my body can do more.”

After Shanghai, the 19-year-old set a new PB of 3:37.82 as he came third in the 1500m at the Nijmegen Athletics Meet.He faces a stern test in five Ethiopians, seven home boys and seven Kenyans. Cheptegei reunites with familiar faces from Shanghai winner Ethiopian Edris Muktar, his counterparts Yomif Kejelcha, Yasin Haji, Hagos Gebrhiwet, Yenew Alamirew plus Kenyans Edwin Soi and Thomas Longosiwa.