Chep leads Team Uganda medal hunt in half-marathon

Cheptegei leads the men’s team in challenging Ethiopians and Kenyans to the finish tape in Gdynia. Photos/AFP

What you need to know:

  • Cheptegei and Kiplimo are among the 16 debutants set to line-up in a 157-man field onto the 5km-loop course at the famous sea-level Kosciuszki Square and an uphill Swietojanska Street section. 

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Uganda has scaled the heights in global long-distance running this year thanks to Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo’s stellar shows.
It is a no brainer that even with no experience over the 21km distance, the duo are listed among the favourites with Cheptegei leading that talk ahead of the men’s race at the World Half-Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland.
The 24-year-old is the reigning world cross-country and 10000m champion and he has set four straight world records (WRs) in 10 months, including that of the 10000m ten days ago.

Kiplimo, who turns 20 next month, returned to track after a 26-month absence in emphatic style with 5000m and 3000m race wins at the Ostrava Golden Spike and Rome Diamond League events last month.


Prime debutants
Cheptegei and Kiplimo are among the 16 debutants set to line-up in a 157-man field onto the 5km-loop course at the famous sea-level Kosciuszki Square and an uphill Swietojanska Street section. 

They have their work cut out ahead of the race that was postponed from March 29 due to the pandemic.
“When it was in March, the winner would have been clear for me (Cheptegei),” Cheptegei coach Dutchman Addy Ruiter told this paper this week.

“Joshua is not perfectly prepared for a half-marathon but we will see,” he said.
“He (Cheptegei) can win this one also but it is also possible that he is going home without a medal. But he is not afraid and will give it a go,” added Ruiter.

Uganda has never won an individual medal at the biennial event but they scooped the men’s team bronze in 2006, thanks to Wilson Busienei’s fourth-place finish in Debrecen, Hungary.
Uganda is intent on a team medal from the sextet that also has experienced 2017 Madrid Half-Marathon winner Moses Kibet, national champion Abel Chebet, Victor Kiplangat and Stephen Kissa – who won the Mitja Marató de Barcelona Half-Marathon in exactly an hour on February 16.

“The team is strong, I believe we’re going to get the best,” said coach Benjamin Njia.
“The guys will try to follow the pace of Joshua. There is a strong guy that people are not seeing in Chebet,” Njia added.

Kissa’s time is the best of the Ugandans but they are up against powerhouses like Kenya who have Kandie Kibiwott who has four big wins this year, 2017 world cross-country silver medallist Leonard Barsoton and Benard Ngeno who has made the podium on his past nine career 21km races.
Ethiopians
Ethiopia has experienced Birhanu Legese, Guye Adola who has a personal best of 59:06 and African 10000m silver Andamlak Belihu. The trio has won the Delhi Half-Marathon a combined five times.

Bar 2010, all titles since 2006 have been shared by Eritrean Zersenay Tadese and Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor, who survived a road accident this year. Both are not in the fray.
Only the top three runners score points in the team medal quest. But Njia anticipates even more from the ladies’ collective effort. 

“I expect the ladies will form a good medal team. The team medal for the ladies is what I’m really sure of,” he said.
Chekwel leads women
National marathon record holder Juliet Chekwel leads the team that has national champion Doreen Chesang, Doreen Chemutai and Rachael Zena Chebet.

Chekwel is the most experienced with seven podium finishes out of eight 21km races since 2017, including the 2018 Commonwealth Half-Marathon title with a national record of 1hr 9min 45sec in Cardiff, Wales.
“If I wake up well or the body is in a good condition, I may run below one hour 10 minutes,” she said via phone while in transit on Thursday.


Juliet Chekwel leads the women’s team in challenging Ethiopians and Kenyans to the finish tape in Gdynia 

The ladies are up against the two current world record-holders in Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir and Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh. 
Yeshaneh won the Ras Al-Khaimah Half-Marathon in 1hr 4min 31sec in February and Jepchirchir posted 1hr 5min 34sec in the Prague 21.1K last month.


Team Uganda

MEN
Joshua Cheptegei
Jacob Kiplimo
Moses Kibet
Stephen Kissa
Victor Kiplangat
Abel Chebet


WOMEN
Juliet Chekwel
Doreen Chesang
Doreen Chemutai
Rachael Zena Chebet
COACH
Benjamin Njia