Kiplimo, Cheptegei marathon switch tests next generation

In the last decade, Uganda has charged to earn a rare and significant share of glory in the long-distance running arena with East African neighbours Kenya and Ethiopia. 

Much of that delight has come from the pair of Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo. The duo has scooped a combined four world cross-country titles, four Olympic medals including two golds and four medals from the World Athletics Championships.

With the track world records over the 5000 metres and 10000 metres stripped off his idol Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, Cheptegei won three straight world titles over the 10000 metres. 

Kiplimo is the fastest man ever over the 21km distance and he won the world half-marathon title five years ago. This success is so rare for Uganda, a country which only relied on solo efforts across generations. 

From the early 2000s, Boniface Kiprop and Dorcus Inzikuru unceremoniously handed over to Moses Kipsiro, who won a medal at every major championship bar the Olympics.

Kipsiro's era oozed a surprise Olympic marathon title in 2012 from Stephen Kiprotich before Cheptegei rose to the grand stage in 2014. Kiplimo joined him two years later.

And after a decade of delight, Cheptegei and Kiplimo are jointly into the marathon spell, once the latter makes his 42km debut at the London Marathon in England on April 27.

That race later this month will mean that Kiplimo will enter a new territory in his career. Normally, an elite marathoner runs two 42km races a year and few individuals return to track thereafter.

This therefore, implies Kiplimo's chances of returning on track are really minimal. That's, of course, notwithstanding the fact the Cheptegei returned to track five months after struggling on his 42km debut at the 2023 Valencia Marathon in Spain. 

Cheptegei, 28, went on to win the 10000-metre Olympic gold at the Paris Games in France last August. 

After Paris, Cheptegei has now done two marathons, including ninth place at the Tokyo Marathon last month and he is not returning to track again. 

However, the case is harder for Kiplimo, with the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in sight. Kiplimo and his management have kept many guessing about what happens after London. 

The Tokyo Worlds due mid-September in Japan, almost five months after the London Marathon but there are no sureties for him to run there on track, especially with the difference in training for road and track. 

It implies Uganda's medal quest in long-distance track races goes to the young guns; like Keneth Kiprop, Dan Kibet and Emmanuel Kibet among others.

The decision for both Cheptegei and Kiplimo to turn to marathon at the same time, could be viewed in a clearer format over the next couple of years. 

Winning a marathon is not easy, even for the prolific Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, and so the recently persistent delight which Uganda has got will inevitably tone down. 

And the eyes and weight of expectation will firmly move to the younger generation.

UGANDA’S FASTEST MARATHONERS

BEST TIME BY ATHLETE

2:04:48 by Stephen Kissa at Hamburg Marathon on Apr 24, 2022

2:05:09 by Victor Kiplangat at Hamburg Marathon on Apr 24, 2022

2:05:12 by Filex Chemongesi at Toronto Marathon on Oct 20, 2019

2:05:59 by Joshua Cheptegei at Tokyo Marathon on Mar 2, 2025

2:06:33 by Stephen Kiprotich at Tokyo Marathon on Feb 22, 2015

ROAD TO TOKYO 2025 WORLD CHAMPS - UGANDAN MARATHONERS

MEN’S QUALIFICATION

1 Joshua Cheptegei (Tokyo Marathon, 9th, 2:05:59, Mar 2, 2024)

2 Stephen Kissa (Osaka Marathon, 2nd, 2:06:22, Feb 25, 2024)

Entry Standard: 2:06:30, Qualifying window: Nov 5, 2023 - May 4, 2025

WOMEN’S QUALIFICATION

1 Stella Chesang (Valencia Marathon, 2nd, 2:18:26 on Dec 1, 2024)

Entry Standard: 2:23:30, Qualifying window: Nov 5, 2023 - May 4, 2025