Ugandan Athlete Cheptegei wins IAAF gold medal

(L-R) Elvis Kipchoge Cheboi of Kenya, Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei of Uganda and Nicholas Mboroto Kosimbei of Kenya pose together on the podium after winning the men's 10,000m final during day one of the IAAF World Junior Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. AFP PHOTO

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the only junior to run faster than 28 minutes this year, fulfilled his role as favourite for the men’s 10,000m by triumphing over 25 laps of the track at Hayward Field in 28:32.86 to take the first gold medal of the IAAF World Junior Championships, Oregon 2014, on Tuesday.

Cheptegei held off a strong challenge from the Kenyan duo Elvis Cheboi and Nicholas Kosimbei in the final two laps, finishing with final 400m of 59.6, to capture a memorable victory.

Cheboi came home second after being unable to respond to Cheptegei's final move with 200 metres to go, crossing the line in 28:35.20, while Kosimbei was third in 28:38.68.

After four events in the heptathlon, Great Britain’s Morgan Lake leads at the end of the first day with a total of 3821 points.

Lake topped the lists in the high jump, in which she jumped a British junior record of 1.94m and the best ever mark by a junior heptathlete, and the shot put to establish her lead.

Her closest pursuer is the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser, whose first-day total stands at 3652 points.

Visser won the 100m hurdles first thing in the morning with a sizzling 13.24, itself the best mark in a World Junior Championships heptathlon, and was second in the 200m to end the afternoon.

Cuba’s defending champion from 2012 Yorgelis Rodriguez, a little below-par, was third with 3561 points.