Historic year for Cheptegei, Kiplimo, Chemutai

The quartet of Joshua Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo, Peruth Chemutai and Halimah Nakaayi has achieved so much in elite athletics.

Yet when one looks back at how they shaped Uganda’s story at the global stage in 2024, it did not appear dissimilar but rather historic.

In a year which had the World Cross-country Championships, African Games and the Paris Olympics, the four in varying capacity achieved unique feats as Uganda soared high.

Kiplimo makes no mistake in Belgrade

In 2023, Kiplimo had dominated the business on the road with a maiden cross-country title in Bathurst, Australia while Cheptegei bagged his third world 10000-metre title at the Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary.

And the pair seemed to fashion similar respective dominance on road and track in 2024. First, Kiplimo made no mistake and successfully went on to retain his crown at the World Athletics Cross-country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

On March 30 at Friendship Park, Kiplimo had no match in the final kilometre of the tough course, beating the challenge at the bridges, dust and mud with ease before winning in a best time of 28 minutes and nine seconds.

By adding to his junior 6km gold from Kampala 2017, the senior men’s silver medal at the Aarhus 2019 edition in Denmark, Kiplimo is now Uganda’s most successful athlete in World Cross-country history with four individual medals.

Tough start for Cheptegei

Meanwhile, 2019 world cross-country champion Cheptegei had begun the year on a low, after a wobbly marathon debut in Valencia, Spain in December.

Despite holding the 5000-metre title, he started the year first in quest for a ticket to the Paris Olympics over the 10000-metre event.

After successfully getting it via the Laredo 10K in Spain, he a fortnight later wasn’t in a perfect state to chase the gold medal in Belgrade but rather, got fourth place and a team medal.

Uganda won team medals; bronze at junior and senior women, junior men while the senior men got silver. Cheptegei’s struggles on track continued in the season.

His abilities were questioned by many after Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway when he finished ninth in the men’s 5000-metre race won by Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet in 12:36.73 - the second fastest time ever on May 30.

From then on until Paris, Cheptegei went off social media platform WhatsApp so as to concentrate. He had won everything over in track long-distance running except the 10000-metre Olympic medal.

And, with coach Addy Ruiter, Cheptegei gave it his all. He put together eight weeks of preparation in Kapchorwa, rejected media requests, and took a significant time away from his family before delivering a master class performance on August 2.

Stellar wrap up of track business

On Day One of athletics at the Olympics in the Stade de France, Cheptegei sized up a really determined 25-man field on the light purple track under beaming lights to triumph in 26:43.14 for an Olympic Record (OR).

For four months, Cheptegei’s threats had been packed by pundits in an Ethiopian package of Selemon Barega, Yomif Kejelcha and Berihu Aregawi. Cheptegei did the job so well that only Aregawi dipped in to get silver.

And it sealed a legacy for Cheptegei as he became the first Ugandan to medal thrice in Olympic history, twice winning gold.

Cheptegei needed to quell off pressure from government officials and fans back home for a confirmation that the race was his last ever competitively on track.

A 10-year spell which had begun at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon - USA at the 2014 World Athletics Junior Championships had come to an end.

From the gold there to a world 10000-metre silver, the Commonwealth double at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, Aarhus, Tokyo Olympics delight, a hat-trick of world 25-lap titles at Doha 2019 in Qatar, Oregon 2022 and Budapest 2023, the chapter for Uganda’s greatest athlete was finished on track.

Cheptegei resumed his marathon journey with a second-place finish at the Dam tot Damloop race in the Netherlands on September 22 before a maiden 21km victory at the Delhi Half Marathon in India on October 20.

Flowers for Chemutai, Nakaayi

Similarly, Kiplimo overcame the Paris disappointment by taking second place at the Copenhagen Half-Marathon in Denmark on September 15 before crowning the year with a world best 15km time of 40:42 at the NN Zevenheuvelenloop in the Netherlands on October 15.

Besides the duo, Chemutai and Nakaayi cannot be overlooked in 2024 either. This female pairing began the year on a positive note with silverware at the African Games in the Ghanaian capital Accra.  

After a disappointing sixth place finish over the 800-metre final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, Nakaayi powered to 800-metre silver at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium with an impressive 1:58.59 behind Ethiopian Tsige Gemiecu on March 19.

This marked Nakaayi’s second medal in the Games’ history after winning bronze at the 2019 edition in Rabat, Morocco. In that year, she won the world title in Doha but at the Paris Games even after lowering the national record (NR) twice, Nakaayi’s body yet again unbelievably failed to respond, agonizingly bowing out in the repechage stage.

On the following day in Accra though, 3000 metre steeplechaser Chemutai delivered her first piece of silverware on the African stage by scooping a silver medal behind experienced Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech.

Chemutai and Chepkoech battles continued to Asia at the two opening legs of the Wanda Diamond League in China but the former grew in confidence for Paris when she ran the world lead time of 8:55.09 and NR while winning the DL leg of Eugene in Oregon, USA on May 25.

This marked the only second time Chemutai had beaten Chepkoech in a race, the other being the water-jump race final at Tokyo 2020 Olympics three years ago.

Chemutai was confident of retaining her Olympic title in Paris, only to be denied the gold by Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi Mutile with about 50 metres left.

Orogot’s spark, Douala happiness

Only consoled by coach Ruiter in order to do a medal celebration inside the stadium, Chemutai had renewed her NR record to 8:53.34 but Mutile had capped an OR time of 8:52.76.

That however marked Uganda’s second medal in Paris, and when Cheptegei and Kiplimo opted out of the 5000 metre race plus high-profile runners Victor Kiplangat and Stephen Kissa struggling with the tough marathon course, the medal tally could not be improved.

Uganda finished the Olympics with those two medals, tying in 55th place on the medal table with a Letsile Tebogo-inspired Botswana, Chile and Saint Lucia led by sprinter Julian Alfred.

In the same year, US-based sprinter Tarsis Orogot had impressed by running a new yet impressive 200-metre NR mark of 19.75 seconds outdoors earlier in the NCAA season for the University of Alabama.

In Paris, Orogot still stopped in the semi-final Heats but he remains definitely one to watch at the 2025 Tokyo Worlds all the way to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. And the same could be said about the improved steeplechaser Leonard Chemutai, no relation to Peruth.

Whereas the Paris was too heavy for him, Leonard had won steeplechase gold at the Africa Senior Athletics Champions in Douala, Cameroon.

Middle-distance runner Tom Dradriga, who had missed out on bronze in Accra via fourth place, he in Douala broke the shackles and won the bronze medal over the 800-metre race.

Teens’ Lima delight, Rebecca demise

Josephine Lalam also smiled at javelin bronze, Loice Chekwemoi too bagged 3000-metre steeplechase gold while Esther Chebet claimed 1500-metre bronze.

Weeks after Paris, Uganda celebrated three medals from Keneth Kiprop, Charity Cherop and Chekwemoi at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru which marked a representation of the country’s future on track.

Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) and the global sporting fraternity mourned the demise of marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei who died in eastern Kenya after suffering burns in a domestic attack.

Rebecca weeks before had run at the Paris Games, finishing 44th. Her demise sparked a huge conversation about gender-based violence across Uganda.

President Yoweri Museveni officially opened the Teryet High Altitude Centre in Kapchorwa and Namboole Stadium running tracks are back in operation. That will come in handy as a bunch of athletes gear for tickets to Tokyo next September.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS - SELECTED RESULTS

WOMEN’S MARATHON FINAL

1 Sifan Hassan (NED)                        2:22:55

2 Tigst Assefa (ETH)                         2:22:58

3 Hellen Obiri (KEN)                                     2:23:10

8 Stella Chesang (UGA)                   2:26:01

44 Rebecca Cheptegei (UGA)          2:32:14

69 Mercyline Chelangat (UGA)       2:39.40

MEN’S 5000M FINAL

1 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)               13:13.66 

2 Ronald Kwemoi (KEN)                   13:15.04

3 Grant Fisher (USA)                                     13:15.13

20 Oscar Chelimo (UGA)                 13:31.56

MEN’S MARATHON FINAL

1 Tamirat Tola (ETH)              2:06:26 

2 Bashir Abdi (BEL)                          2:06:47 

3 Benson Kipruto (KEN)                    2:07:00

37 Victor Kiplangat (UGA)              2:11:59

62 Andrew Kwemoi (UGA)                         2:17:28

DNF Stephen Kissa (UGA)              DNF 

WOMEN’S 10000M FINAL 

1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN)                   30:43.25

2 Nadia Battocletti (ITA)                   30:43.35

3 Sifan Hassan (NED)                        30:44.12

12 Sarah Chelangat (UGA)              31:02.37

22 Annet Chemengich (UGA)          31:50.41 

MEN’S 200M SEMI FINAL HEAT 1

1 Kenneth Bednarek (USA)               20.00

2 Alexander Ogando (DOM)             20.09

3 Andre de Grasse (CAN)                  20.41

6 Tarsis Orogot (UGA)                    20.64

MEN’S 3000M STEEPLECHASE FINAL

1 Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR)            8:06.05

2 Kenneth Rooks (USA)                    8:06.41

3 Abraham Kibiwot (KEN)                8:06.47

15 Leonard Chemutai (UGA)          8:20.03

MEN’S 800M REPECHAGE HEAT 1

1 Kethobogile Haingura (BOT)          1:45.52

2 Slimane Moula (ALG)                     1:45.67

3 Corentin Le Clezio (FRA)               1:45.72

5 Tom Dradriga (UGA)                    1:46.15

WOMEN’S 3000M STEEPLECHASE FINAL

1 Winfred Yavi Mutile (BHR)           8:52.76

2 Peruth Chemutai (UGA)               8:53.34

3 Faith Cherotich (KEN)                    8:55.15

MEN’S 800M HEAT 6

1 Mohamed Attaoui (ESP)                 1:44.81

2 Bryce Hoppel (USA)                       1:45.24

3 Max Burgin (GBR)                          1:45.36

6 Tom Dradriga (UGA)                     1:46.05

WOMEN’S 1500M REPECHAGE HEAT 1

1 Birke Haylom (ETH)                       4:01.47

2 Ludovica Cavalli (ITA)                   4:02.46

3 Esther Guerrero (ESP)                     4:03.15

8 Winnie Nanyondo (UGA)              4:06.35

WOMEN’S 800M REPECHAGE HEAT 2

1 Abbey Caldwell (AUS)                   2:00.07

2 Eloisa Coiro (ITA)                           2:00.31

3 Audrey Werro (SUI)                        2:00.62

6 Halimah Nakaayi (UGA)              2:02.88

MEN’S 10000M FINAL RESULT

1 Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)              26:43.14

2 Berihu Aregawi (ETH)                    26:43.44

3 Grant Fisher (USA)                         26:43.46

4 Mohammed Ahmed (CAN)             26:43.79

5 Benard Kibet (KEN)                        26:43.98

6 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH)                    26:44.02

7 Selemon Barega (ETH)                    26:44.48

8 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA)                    26:46.39

22 Martin Kiprotich (UGA)             28:20.72

WOMEN’S 5000M ROUND 1 HEAT 1

1 Faith Kipyegon (KEN)                    14:57.56

2 Sifan Hassan (NED)                        14:57.65

3 Nadia Battocletti (ITA)                   14:57.65

12 Belinda Chemutai (UGA)            15:23.90

DNS Joy Cheptoyek (UGA)             DNS

WOMEN’S 5000M ROUND 1 HEAT 2

1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN)                   15:00.73

2 Medina Eisa (ETH)                          15:00.82

3 Rose Davies (AUS)                         15:00.86

13 Esther Chebet (UGA)                  15:10.46 

PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

FINAL MEDAL TABLE

1 USA             40        44        42        126

2 China            40        27        24        91

3 Japan            20        12        13        45

4 Australia       18        19        16        53

5 France          16        26        22        64

6 Netherlands 15         7          12        34

7 G. Britain     14        22        29        65

8 Korea           13        9          10        32

9 Italy              12        13        15        40

10 Germany    12        13        8          33

T55 Uganda   1          1          0          2