Tokyo welcomes Cheptegei again
Joshua Cheptegei will compete in Tokyo, Japan. PHOTOS/REUTERS
What you need to know:
Big In Japan. Joshua Cheptegei debuted over the marathon distance 14 months ago but it was one to forget when he finished a distant 37th place in Valencia, Spain. He returned to track and completed that spell sumptuously with a priceless 10000-metre Olympic gold medal in French capital Paris last August. And on March 2, Cheptegei in company of national record holder Stephen Kissa will bid to rise again over the 42km distance at the Tokyo Marathon in the Japanese capital, where he holds fond memories.
Joshua Cheptegei found utmost relief and satisfaction when he won the 10000-metre gold medal at the Paris Olympics in France last August.
That race marked his final track competitive test thereby fully opening up the marathon chapter. And he ended 2024 in a delightful competitive mode when smartly won the Delhi Half-Marathon in India.And surely after his first 21km victory last October, Cheptegei was only prime for his second career 42km test in 2025.Last week, organisers announced that Cheptegei was announced among the entries for the men’s elite field which will compete at the Tokyo Marathon in Japan on March 2.Cheptegei’s marathon debut was one to forget. On December 3, Cheptegei terribly withered to finish 37th at the Valencia Marathon in Spain.The three-time 10000-metre world champion and three-time Olympic medalist however seeks a bounce back. “I’ve stood on podiums and set world records,” Cheptegei said in a promotional video message released by NN Running Team, run by his management Global Sports Communication.“But true greatness is about how you rise after a fall. Tokyo, I am ready to rise again,” he said after a display of some of his medals and the images after winning the senior men’s 10km race at the 2019 World Athletics Cross-country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.Of course, that was on the back of a well-documented blow up at the 2017 World Cross-country in Kololo. The video is also a message that Cheptegei wants to win the World Marathon Major (WMM) in the Japanese capital.Cheptegei has fond memories of Tokyo. He won the 5000-metre gold and 10000-metre silver medals at the National Stadium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics four years ago and he is Uganda’s best decorated athlete ever.For Tokyo duty, he is entered in the company of his training partner Stephen Kissa, who holds the marathon national record (NR) at two hours, four minutes and 48 seconds from second place at the 2022 Hamburg Marathon in Germany.In Valencia, Cheptegei posted 2:08:59 and in the Tokyo field, this time is ranked 23rd of 25 men, with the last two being debutants. Kissa is ranked eighth in the elite list led by defending champion Kenyan Benson Kipruto who won in Tokyo with a course record time of 2:02:16 last year.
Cheptegei has been on so many podiums.
The field also has impressive Ethiopians in 2023 Beijing Marathon winner Deresa Geleta and Birhanu Legese, who has won twice in Tokyo.Cheptegei and Kissa’s selection for Tokyo means four Ugandans are set for WMM events, including world champion Victor Kiplangat who will run the Boston Marathon on April 21.Then, there is women’s NR record holder Stella Chesang and two-time world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo who is set to debut at the London Marathon on April 27.Kissa is the only Ugandan male who has beaten the qualifying standard mark of 2:06:30 for the men’s marathon at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships due September.TOKYO MARATHON NOTEBOOK
Stance: World Marathon Major (WMM)
Established: 2007 (18 years ago)2025 Date: March 2Event type: Road
Distance: 42km
Course records: Men: 2:02:16 (2024) by Benson Kipruto (KEN) & Women: 2:15:55 (2024) by Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH)2025 TOKYO MARATHONMEN’S ELITE 42KM FIELD ENTRIESBenson Kipruto (KEN) 2:02:16Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:02:38Birhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich (KEN) 2:03:13Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02Stephen Kissa (UGA) 2:04:48Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) 2:08:59CHEPTEGEI AT A GLANCEDate of birth: September 12, 1996Major Races: Half-Marathon, MarathonPersonal Bests: 21km (59:21), 42km (2:08:59)Coach: Addy RuiterManager: Youri VerbaasKit Sponsor: NikeCHEPTEGEI IN 2024Oct 20: Delhi Half Marathon (1st, 59:46)Sept 22: Dam tot Damloop (2nd, 45:18)Aug 2: Paris Olympics 10000m Final (1st, 26:43.14)May 30: Bislett Games 5000m (9th, 12:51.94)May 17: LA Grand Prix 5000m (3rd, 12:52.38)Mar 30: World X-Country (6th, 28:24)Mar 16: Laredo 10K (2nd, 25:53)CHEPTEGEI IN 2023Dec 3: Valencia Marathon (37th, 2:08:59)Aug 20: Budapest Worlds 10000m Final (1st, 27:51.42)June 30: Lausanne DL (2nd, 12:41.61)Jun 2: Florence DL (4th, 12:53.81)Mar 19: New York Half-Marathon (2nd, 1:02:09)Feb 18: World X-Country (3rd, 29:37)ROAD TO TOKYO 2025 WORLD CHAMPS - UGANDAN MARATHONERSMEN’S QUALIFICATION1 Stephen Kissa (Osaka Marathon, 2nd, 2:06:22, Feb 25, 2024)Entry Standard: 2:06:30, Qualifying window: Nov 5, 2023 - May 4, 2025WOMEN’S QUALIFICATION1 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
