Cheptegei’s rival Farah struggles
Joshua Cheptegei (L) and Mo Farah. PHOTOS/FILE/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The Briton said a foot injury cost him but he is running out of time for a ticket to Tokyo, with the qualification deadline set for June 29.
Since 2019, a duel between world champion Joshua Cheptegei and Olympic champion Mo Farah has been anticipated by bookmakers over the 10000m at next month’s Tokyo Games.
But the contest is unlikely to take place after four-time Olympic champion Farah failed to hit the qualifying mark over the 25-lap race at the British Olympic trial in Birmingham on Saturday.
The 38-year-old, who won the 5000m and 10000m double at the London 2012 before repeating the feat at the Rio 2016 Games, finished a distant eighth.
Farah posted a time of 27 minutes and 50.64 seconds behind fellow Briton Marc Scott but his time was 22 seconds short of the 27:28.00 qualifying standard.
The Briton said a foot injury cost him but he is running out of time for a ticket to Tokyo, with the qualification deadline set for June 29.
“I’ve been carrying a niggle since I came back from training. It is frustrating because I have done a lot of good work in Flagstaff (Arizona),” Farah said.
“I have had some treatment to it and then coming back, it really flared up.”
The race in Birmingham had been Farah’s first 10000m event since winning the world title at the London 2017 edition with Cheptegei coming second.
Farah took his challenge to the road, and Cheptegei has since won every other 10000m title on offer, including the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
The Ugandan added the 5000m and 10000m world records to his profile and he will have the company of Abdallah Mande and Jacob Kiplimo for the 10000m final in Tokyo on July 30.
Seeing Farah struggle on return to the track, Cheptegei’s biggest threats in Tokyo could be world half-marathon champion Kiplimo, Canadian Mohammed Ahmed, and Ethiopian, Kenyan American runners.
10000m Olympic golds
Rio 2016 Mo Farah GBR
London 2012 Mo Farah GBR
Beijing 2008 Kenenisa Bekele ETH
Athens 2004 Kenenisa Bekele ETH
Sydney 2008 Haile Gebrselassie ETH
Atlanta 1996 Haile Gebrselassie ETH
Barcelona ‘92 Khalid Skah MAR
Seoul 1988 Brahim Boutayeb MAR
L. Angeles ‘84 Alberto Cova ITA
Moscow 1980 Miruts Yifter ETH
