On August 2, 2024, Joshua Cheptegei won the gold medal in the 10,000-meter race at the Paris Olympics with an Olympic record time of 26:43.14. In the previous Tokyo Olympics, he had secured silver in the same event.
“I can’t describe the feeling. I’ve wanted this for a long time. When I took silver in Tokyo 2020, I was disappointed. I just wanted to win the 10,000 meters,” Cheptegei remarked after his record-breaking performance at the Stade de France, according to Forbes Africa.
This achievement makes him the first Ugandan Olympic champion in the 10,000 meters and solidifies his status as Uganda’s undisputed Olympic king with three medals—two golds and one silver. Cheptegei had previously won gold in the 5,000 meters in Tokyo.
Cheptegei was born under an avocado tree in the village of Cheptendan, Uganda, and is one of nine children. His father was a teacher, and his mother was a peasant farmer. Despite their modest means, they supported his education.
He discovered his passion for running while in school and initially trained at a free government facility. Support from the private sector later came through Jurrie van der Velden of the Netherlands, co-founder of Global Sports Communication, which provided top-tier coaching and training facilities, according to NPR.
Cheptegei made his debut at 17 when he won the 10,000-meter gold medal at the 2014 World Junior Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA.
According to the Uganda Monitor, Cheptegei faced a significant challenge in his career when he finished 30th in the World Cross-Country Championships in Uganda in 2017. However, he bounced back by winning the silver medal behind Mo Farah at the London World Championships later that year. In early 2018, Cheptegei won his first world titles, claiming gold in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.
He continued his impressive form with a victory in the senior men’s World Cross-Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2019, followed by the 10,000-meter title at the Doha World Athletics Championships and a 5,000-meter Diamond League trophy. Cheptegei ended 2019 with a world record in the 10km in Valencia, Spain, as reported by the Uganda Monitor.
Cheptegei currently holds the world record for the 10,000 meters.
