Cheptegei leaves GOAT debate hanging

Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo were expected to win medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. They did exactly that – finishing second and third in the 10000m final to clinch Silver and Bronze, respectively, at an empty Olympic Stadium in Tokyo yesterday.
That Cheptegei is arguably Uganda’s greatest sports personality ever is not debatable. Yesterday, he had the chance to all but end that debate once and for all. Olympic Gold in the 10000m was the moment for Cheptegei.

However, he could only take a slice out of it, not the whole bread. Nothing counts more for an athlete like an Olympic Gold. Winning one gives you immortality as seen with John Akii-Bua’s 400m hurdles triumph in 1972 or Stephen Kiprotich victory in the Marathon in 2012.
Those remain the only two Golds Ugandan has managed at the prestigious quadrennial Games. Their names can only be mentioned in sports’ Greatest of All Time (GOAT).
It’s a list that Cheptegei belongs to along with 1980 Olympic Silver medalist John ‘The Beast’ Mugabi and two-time medalist Leo Rwabwogo et al.

Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega broke clear on the last lap and won the Gold in 27 minutes, 43.22 seconds, upsetting world champion and world-record holder Cheptegei, who took the silver in a season best time of 27:43.63sec.
Jacob Kiplimo, the seventh fastest man over 25 laps, took bronze in a time of 27 minutes, 43.88 seconds.

Second chance
That ‘Gold’ moment must now wait until Friday. Kiplimo and Cheptegei will be joined by Oscar Chelimo in the 5000m whose Heats are scheduled for Tuesday. 
Cheptegei started the race as favourite. His resume demanded that. He holds the world record set last year in Valencia, Spain, when he did 26 minutes and 11 seconds. It had stood for 15 years.

In doing so, Cheptegei became the 10th man in history to hold the 5000 and 10000m world records concurrently, both set in 2020. Before that, the 24-year-old had won the World Junior Championship Gold seven years ago in Eugene, USA.
The growth saw him add a 5000 and 10000m double at the 2018 Commonwealth Games plus a world title at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
He has also set world records in three different events across track and road in 2020, polishing his reputation after a commanding 10000m success at the Worlds in Doha, Qatar, 2019.

This trail of success underlines how supreme an athlete Cheptegei is and most of western media described Barega’s triumph as an upset. Friday ought to be different.
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